And 80 to 100 of them a day pass through our doors at Operation Stand Down Nashville. We are just now beginning to see a trickle of OEF/OIF vets (Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns) but you can bet your bottom dollar that this is going to turn into a flood as these guys, dealing with PTSD as a direct result of multiple "stop-loss" deployments, begin coming home in larger numbers.....Nashville expects more homeless veterans
Matthew 25, others prepare for wave from Iraq, Afghanistan
Jeff Duncan works on the computer at Matthew 25. The organization is bracing for an increase in homeless veterans in the next 12-18 months. (GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN)
Edward Earvin, while enjoying dinner with David Downs, talks about how he will manage his life after he moves out of Matthew 25. The organization expects an increase in homeless veterans. (GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN)
Alvin Myles of Matthew 25 talks about how the organization is preparing for an expected increase in homeless veterans in the next 12 to 18 months. (GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN)
WHO CAN HELP
• Matthew 25 is a residential program for homeless men who have completed a recovery program. It offers 50 beds, half of which are reserved for homeless veterans. Residents usually spend between 90 and 100 days there and are required to have a job or pursue one. About 80 percent of the men deal with some addiction issues. Those interested must be at least 21 years old to participate.Call 383-9577 or go to www.matthew25help.org to donate, volunteer and learn more information.
Matthew 25 is in Vine Hill Towers, 625 Benton Ave.
• Operation Stand Down Nashville helps homeless veterans with job search, bus passes, clothing, food, VA benefits assistance and other services. It also offers a transitional housing program to homeless women and men.
Call 248-1981 or go to www.osdnashville.org to donate, volunteer and learn more details.
Operation Stand Down Nashville is at 1125 12th Ave. South
• Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs, 215 Rosa L. Parks Ave. Call 741-2931 or go to www.state.tn.us/veteran.
A Nashville agency that helps the homeless is bracing for an anticipated rise in homeless veterans in the next couple of years.
Residential program Matthew 25 is working with a local chapter of Veterans Affairs officials, a housing agency and others, to add more beds and possibly even buy an apartment complex to put up veterans who landed on the streets.
"We're going to have more veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, so the VA is going to treat their physical needs, but after discharge, where will they go next?" said Alex Kelso, board president of Matthew 25.
"We are going to see a new wave of homeless veterans for sure. We haven't got any new bricks and mortar yet, but we're working with others to help deal with this crisis."
National agenda set
About one-third of adults who are homeless have at some point served in the Armed Services, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Many tiptoe the line because of poverty, lack of family support and inadequate access to services.Nashville has between 600 and 700 homeless veterans, according to officials with Operation Stand Down Nashville Inc.
Nearly all homeless veterans are male, single and come from low socio-economic backgrounds, according to the VA. They tend to be older and more educated than their non-veteran counterparts.
About 45 percent suffer from some mental illness, similarly to non-veteran homeless population.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced last month a campaign to end homelessness among veterans in the next five years. The VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce homelessness, Shinseki said. About $2.7 billion will cover medical services, he said.
A life-saving place
Matthew 25, located near the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, has 50 beds in its program, half of which go to homeless veterans. Almost all stay occupied, Keslo said.One bed belongs to Todd Cosby, 37, a Desert Storm veteran who left the U.S. Army in 1993 after six years of service, he said.
If I hadn't come here to a place like this, I'd be dead. It's true," Cosby said.
In addition to his addiction to alcohol, Cosby said he's also struggled with memories from combat and a medical mission to Honduras. He recalled seeing a little boy there who was dying from a snake bite but eventually recovered.
"It weighs on your mind," Cosby said.
"I put a lot of this to the back burner, and I try not to let it affect me. But, over the years, I've felt utterly worthless, like I'm not living up to my potential. Here I am wasting my life, and there they are being shot at. A lot of them (veterans) who come back experience self-doubt."
When services run out
A person becomes a veteran after being discharged from the service, said Melanie Lilliston, with the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in Washington, D.C."It's not like they come back and immediately become homeless," she said.
It usually takes between four to seven years before veterans exhaust all resources, including VA benefits and family support, and become homeless, Lilliston said.
Working alongside Matthew 25 is Operation Stand Down Nashville, which provides job assistance, bus passes, clothes, food and other services to homeless veterans. Its transitional housing offers seven beds for female veterans and 35 for male, all full, said Bill Burleigh, the nonprofit's executive director. The agency is likely to expand the number next year, he said.
"We're going to have a lot more homeless veterans in the near future. It's an institutional problem," he said.
"These wars we're fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are terrorism wars. They're much like Vietnam. They're also civil wars, so you can't tell who the good and bad guys are. Those coming back will need the community's support."
