Just in time for the holidays, a group of homeless women veterans in Western Massachusetts have found themselves a home. In Northampton, a brand new, $1.7 million residence for women veterans was just opened by Soldier On, a private nonprofit advocating for veterans. With 16 individual apartments, plus a host of other amenities, the building will stand as a safe place for women to seek shelter and care in their life after service, according to the Boston Globe.
More than 4,000 women accounted for about 9 percent of all homeless veterans in 2015, the Globe reported, citing data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Despite that number being in line with their representation in the armed forces, women veterans are more likely to be homeless than men.
"Women come to us incredibly broken," Sara Scoco, Soldier On's women's program director, told the Globe. "All of our women experienced trauma before the military – childhood abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse. Many of them went into the military to escape trauma and were re-traumatized instead."
At Soldier On's new center, all programs are run exclusively by women. New additions like an arts and crafts room and yoga center are soon to arrive. WWLP reported that the 12 women who arrived on Tuesday are finally receiving the thanks and attention they deserve.
"We should not have any veteran living on the street," said Kathy Copeland, a homeless veteran and new resident. "These are people signing a blank check up to, and including, our lives for this country. And then to come back and not have the assets available to us."
Now, with Soldier On's help, Copeland and others like her have a place where they can heal both their physical and emotional wounds.