While veteran homelessness has been addressed at the local, state, and federal levels over the past several years, it's still an issue affecting thousands of former service members every day. However, even the most desperate of situations often isn't enough to diminish veterans' sense of duty and respect. As a result, one homeless New Hampshire vet is doing more to help people in the same situation as he is.
Albert Peel is a 77-year-old Coast Guard veteran and longtime businessman who lost his home to foreclosure in 2008. Since then, he has been in and out of tenuous living situations throughout the Granite State, according to a report from the Keene Sentinel. However, that hasn't stopped him from starting the Veterans Relief Organization with the goal of helping former service members who run into homelessness and related issues.
What the VRO does
Peel, who served as an aviation electronic technicians during the Vietnam War and then in the Coast Guard Reserves, now lives in a portable shelter he built for himself, and tries to raise money to make more for other homeless vets, the report said. The shelter is big enough for a mattress and sleeping bag. Peel, who calls himself "a crazy old guy" believes the option might be preferable for homeless vets who need a little extra stability even as they remain on the streets or living in rural areas.
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On the other side of the coin, though, there are still plenty of organizations and individuals pitching in for homeless vets as well. One such effort recently helped a 20-year-old homeless vet in Cedar Falls, Iowa, according to a report from ABC News. There, Goodwill officials provided Marine vet Timothy Hogan with a job and a room in a four-bedroom home that he will share with other vets in the near future. Prior to this move, Hogan had been honorably discharged due to a medical issue, and bounced around between some local homeless shelters. The Goodwill home will not put any restrictions on how long veterans can stay in the home, and says it is focused on helping Hogan determine what his next steps in life will be.
"I think it's very rewarding serving veterans who have served us so well over the years, to pay that back a little," Steve Tisue, vice president of human services for Goodwill of Northeast Iowa, told the news organization. "Goodwill is grateful as well."
While the federal government recently announced that it had fallen short of its goal of effectively ending veteran homelessness, it has still gotten tens of thousands off the streets nationwide. That trend should continue for some time to come as well, thanks to both private and public efforts.