On a mission to help veterans

Hudson River Housing has always provided services to Veterans, but 9 years ago, the nonprofit increased its outreach when it received a $500,000 yearly grant for supportive services from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. "That kicked off a bigger effort in our organization to provide case management and rental assistance," explains Elizabeth Celaya, director of strategic initiatives. But two years ago, the grant dried up.

 

By then, the NeighborWorks network organization had earned a reputation for strong veterans programming. "We didn't want to pull the plug on our programs," Celaya says. "We needed to figure out what to do." Enter Tommy Zurhellen, commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 170.

 

 

"My first day on the job at the VFW, I started getting call after call about a veteran in need," says Zurhellen, a Navy veteran. "I had no idea all that was happening with our veterans – or how much support was needed. I began reaching out to nonprofits. Most wouldn't give me the time of day."

 

Hudson River Housing responded immediately to see what they might be able to do together. They started with small care packages for veterans who were living on the streets. Zurhellen, a professor at Marist College, brought in student groups to help. Meanwhile, the relationship with Hudson River Housing continued to grow. As Zurhellen became more aware of homelessness and suicide among veterans, he said, "let's try to get that number down to zero," Celaya recalls. The VetZero Initiative was born.

 

According to the Military Times, veterans make up 6% of the U.S. population; 8% of homeless individuals are veterans. Meanwhile, it is estimated that 37% to 50% of Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. "People say, ‘Thank you for your service.' But if you take a deeper look, the problems for veterans are persistent," Zurhellen says.

 

In 2019, Zurhellen walked 2866 miles from Portland, Oregon to New York to raise awareness about the issue. When he wrote a book about it, Hudson River Housing became the distributer. They've sold more than 500 copies with proceeds going to veterans programming, Celaya says. And Zurhellen has joined the board of trustees for Hudson River Housing.

 

Hudson River Housing now has four main programs for veterans. 

 

Heroes for Heroes
 

Bobbie Davis served on a Navy ship during the Vietnam War. After an honorable discharge as third class petty officer, he returned to his hometown in Stamford, Connecticut, where he took a job in social work. He didn't have a college education, he says, but he had a mayor who admired military service and made sure veterans like him had jobs.

 

Fast forward 50 years, and Davis, retired, had fallen upon hard times. His girlfriend moved out of the apartment they shared, he says, and he couldn't afford rent on his own. He moved in with a relative, "but I could tell I wasn't wanted," so he took to living on the streets instead, and then at a shelter. When they learned at the shelter that Davis had served in the Navy, they referred him to Liberty Station, an apartment complex for veterans coming out of homelessness that's run by Hudson River Housing. Davis stayed for a few months, until he found a home at his current, more permanent apartment building. He left Liberty Station, but he didn't leave Hudson River Housing.

 

Davis found employment through Hudson River, first through a café in the factory that the NeighborWorks network organization renovated, and then at a new Hudson River program for veterans. Known as Heroes Making Heroes, the organization makes sub sandwiches and sells them. Profits go toward veterans programming. "What we don't sell, we bring to veterans at Liberty Station or people who are homeless." Davis says many of the people who are homeless in the Hudson Valley are veterans, too.

 

Heroes Making Heroes began in May. "It's something we just started doing," Davis says. "Everybody is excited that's involved. We have high hopes."

 

Zurhellen's advice for organizations looking to start programs to help veterans? "You just have to do it," he says. "Find the work that isn't being done. Go out there and make a dream a reality. You can't do it by yourself – no nonprofit can. But your spark will spark other people. And if other people join in, if we get the awareness, it will be a be a lot easier. There's still more to do."

 

In the last fiscal year, just over 150 NeighborWorks network organizations reported helping homeownership clients who were veterans or actively serving in the military. Nearly 90 network organizations reported housing rental clients with at least one veteran or active military personnel as head of household. The combined total shows 200 network organizations helping veterans and active military personnel.