What if....
What if……
……we could help the homeless veteran?
By Mark Sutton, Public Relations Director, American Legion Department of Michigan.
A few
years ago the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs had a goal to
eliminate veteran homelessness in 5 years.
According to the VA’s homeless initiative website they state reasons for
veteran homelessness:
“These
include poverty, insufficient access to reasonably priced housing, isolation
from family or friends and substance use or mental health challenges that may
develop or worsen as a result of service-related trauma.”
The goal
was to eliminate homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015. Unfortunately, the goal will take a little
longer than expected. I personally think
a goal like that is not attainable, but a goal that talks about getting any
veteran who no longer wants to be homeless is achievable. We must recognize that there is a group of
veterans, whether it is due to mental health issues, or by choice want to stay
homeless. So, let’s direct our attention
to those who want help and here in Michigan we have had some great programs to
do just that. We have Piquette Square
and the Michigan’s Veterans Foundation in Detroit, Silver Star in Battle Creek,
and the Patriot Home in Gaylord help give struggle veterans a place to call
home. Sometimes these serve as
transitional housing for them and for some it has become a place they call
home.
When I
was studying and teaching Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” courses one of the lessons that stands out the most is when he talks about dealing with
creditors and debt collectors. He
stresses the priorities, keep your four walls, keep the lights on, keep food on
the table, and transportation, credit card companies can wait for their money
as annoying as they are if we can stay dry and sheltered we can fight another
day.
For
those homeless it takes everything for them to find shelter for the night, eat
for the day, and protect themselves from the harsh elements of the
weather. When most of your time is spent
how to survive, when do they have time or the resources to take the steps that
lead to another life off the street?
What if
a group of Legionnaires set forth to change that? What if a group of Legionnaires gathered
together like the ones did in 1921 to create a hospital for veterans suffering
from tuberculosis, but instead concentrated on veteran homelessness. By the way the land used for that hospital is
now called the Battle Creek VA Medical Center.
In partnership with the state of Michigan and The American Legion of
Michigan the hospital was built.
What if
Legionniares and veterans in the Detroit area worked with the city, worked with
the VA homeless initiative grants, and put in some sweat equity to help
veterans find shelter. Or what if we
made homes for these veterans?
When we
think of a home being given to a veteran, we think of 1200 square feet of
space, or something along those lines.
Homes like that can run close to $100,000 for materials to build. What
if we started thinking about homes in the 100-200 square foot range
instead? What if the thought turned
towards the tiny house movement to house veterans? What if shipping containers were converted
into homes for less than $5000?
What if
we started using Detroit city parcels that are going back to their natural
habitat because of decay? There are
blocks of empty lots that the current homes could be plowed over and in their
place a neighborhood of tiny homes could be built with running water, sewage,
and electricity.
The tiny
house movement is a viable alternative to helping people with little means get
back on their feet. They can be super
insulated and provide a safe place to live while they transition; they can also
be very nice and creative.
Here are
several videos about tiny houses take some time to watch and maybe inspiration
will creep in and give someone an idea.
What if……
This is about sparking ideas and maybe it sparks a flame that grows into a huge fire, or maybe the wind blows out the flame. My email is mark@michiganlegion.org.
Veterans
serving veterans since 1919
Portland considering tiny homes for city's
homeless
A Big-Hearted Man and His Calling to Build
Tiny Houses for Oakland's Homeless
South LA Man Gives Homeless Woman New Lease On
Life By Building Her Small, Portable House
Shipping Containers used for affordable housing
Maybe Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts can help
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