homeless veteran

Our spotlight this week features a 51-year-old Army Veteran. He was happy to share his story but wished to remain anonymous. Growing Up Old School This Veteran grew up in Springdale, AR and “found out real early there is nothing in life for free.” At nine years old, he began working with his dad blocking mud on construction sites. He recalls returning to school in the fall as “quite a buff kid.” He credits his country, old-school upbringing for his work- and life-ethic. Connecting to Home at Last After losing his home, this Veteran found Home at Last after talking with the local VFW and Springfield VA hospital. Shortly after connecting with the program he had a major health crisis. In December 2019, he was admitted to Mercy Hospital unconscious. Waking up three days later, he learned that in addition to pneumonia and a lung infection he had suffered a stroke. After spending 10 days in the hospital, he was released to The Kitchen. Inc.’s emergency shelter. In the emergency shelter, he met case manager Kendall and two staff members of Home at Last: Val and Valerie. They began working with the Veteran to create a housing plan. Home at Last staff helped him find housing options to meet his needs and provided the start-up cost to move in. He moved into his new home on Christmas Eve. In addition to connecting him with stable housing, staff also referred him to MSU Care, a health clinic for uninsured, low-income adults. The Veteran was able to meet with healthcare providers to begin rehabilitation after his hospital stay and get needed prescriptions. He says, “they took care of me. They definitely helped me out.” With access to care for his physical and mental health, he was able to focus on getting back…

As a case manager, we are steadily finding the balance between office work and providing direct real-time service to our Veteran clients while out in the community. No day is the same as life happens, and we handle ongoing circumstances as they occur.  Working the Case We are present at the beginning stages when a Veteran is looking for permanent housing, but really step in after they are housed. It is unrealistic to expect someone to focus on other goals before their basic needs of shelter and safety are met. Once the Veteran is stably housed, we help the Veteran work through a housing stability plan and budget to ensure they are taking active steps towards maintaining their housing.  Case managers engage in regular contact with clients to ensure they are motivated and accountable to their goals. As a case management team, we talk daily so we can bounce ideas off each other and stay up to date with what is going on in each of our clients’ lives.  Building Relationships In order to provide the best service, we rely on community connections to local resources. We work closely with partner agencies to seek out the best possible connections to help the Veteran tackle upcoming needs and obstacles. These include the HUD-VASH through the VA, One Door, the Homeless Veterans Task Force, Burrell Behavioral Health, the Red Cross, OACAC, Veterans Upward Bound, and Harmony House. Community outreach helps us discover new resources and spread information about the program. We are always learning, training, and attending events to stay current in the world of Veteran affairs and ending homelessness.  Remi Anders, Home at Last Case Manager Ways to Help Your donations allow us to end homelessness for more people in our community. DONATE

Glendy is a 62-year-old Army Veteran from Riverside, IL. She spent about 20 years in Sacramento, CA before finding her way to Springfield over a year ago. Glendy became homeless in 2019 after fleeing an abusive and hostile environment. Finding Home at Last Glendy found Home at Last through a referral from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Within a month, she was able to move into her new apartment. Glendy likes her landlord and was happy to find a place that allows her Cocker Spaniel, Artemis, to stay with her. Working Towards Stability Once stably housed, Glendy worked with her case manager, Patrick Haenni, on goals that would allow her to maintain stability after the program ends. Patrick helped Glendy complete the paperwork for a housing choice voucher through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Housing choice vouchers assist very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled afford housing in the private market. “Patrick has made everything easy. When it came time to do the Section 8 paperwork, he was there to help me and take me to appointments."Glendy Glendy is living on a fixed-income. The housing choice voucher from HUD will allow her income to stretch farther to meet her basic needs. A Place of Her Own Glendy says she is still taking things one day at a time, “I’m bipolar. I’ve started a lot of things in my past that I wasn’t able to finish. Having a roof over my head—a place of my own—has been huge.” The support from Home at Last and HUD will allow Glendy to remain stably housed in her own apartment. “Glendy was a joy to work with as a case manager. She was always positive and upbeat about things and never gave up. Even when COVID-19 caused a temporary shutdown…

What is Home at Last? Home at Last is a program of The Kitchen Inc. that works to end Veteran homelessness in our community. Home at Last is funded by the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grant from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Who We Serve Home at Last serves very low-income Veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. We serve families in Greene, Christian, and Webster counties. More information about specific requirements can be found on our webpage or by contacting the office at (417) 225-7410. What We Do The focus of the program is housing stabilization. Home at Last provides individualized supports to help Veteran families rapidly secure and maintain permanent housing, which may include: Outreach to connect eligible Veterans with the programCase managementReferrals for other servicesAssistance in obtaining mainstream and VA benefitsRent assistanceUtility assistanceHousehold items We work with landlords to find housing options that are safe, affordable, and desirable to our clients. Partnering with landlords allows us to house Veterans who may have significant barriers to finding permanent housing on their own.Veterans exit the program when their housing crisis has been resolved and they are stably housed. Veterans are typically in the program for six to nine months. Ways to Help Your donations allow us to end homelessness for more people in our community. DONATE