With the drawdown of previous conflicts, over 2 million veterans are set to return to the United States this year alone. Sadly, when people think of veterans, most of society’s attention is devoted to men returning from the battlefield. However, the reality is that many of these returning heroes are women. Moreover, they are our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. Many female veterans returning from the military face a complicated transition back into civilian life. Women are among the strongest individuals in our society and it is because of that fierce independence they are the least likely to ask for help. Tragically, the number of homeless women veterans has doubled from 2006 to 2010. These statistics do not paint the full picture; insofar, most never report that they are homeless or a veteran. Women such as these are presented not only with harrowing circumstances but with few resources in which to meet the challenges of daily life. Complicating matters further, the state of Michigan lacks sufficient transitional centers for female veterans. It is imperative that in this crucial hour, society faces its moral obligation to be stewards to those who sacrifice everything to preserve our freedom.
“Our Home Transitional” has a comprehensive program designed to address the needs of single homeless female veterans by providing them with jobs and educational training, home placement assistance, and most importantly, crucial access to mental and physical health care and many other programs for successful transitioning. Specifically, “Our Home Transitional” would work with female veterans out of active duty within the past 5 years in dealing with the ramifications of conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Sexual Trauma among other issues.
Our program has already helped veterans like Natasha, who before coming to us lived in a house stripped of all copper fixtures, limited access to electricity and with no running water. We assisted Natasha in purchasing food, toiletries and other household items as well as directing her to other programs that would provide her with help in the rehab of her home. We helped Natasha compile documents needed to apply for veteran’s benefits, stood in long lines at the Department of Veterans affairs and provided her with the appropriate mental health treatment from the Genesee Health Systems. We took her to University of Michigan Flint Student Veteran’s resource center where she was able to fill out an application for Federal Student Aid and apply to admission to the university. As Natasha stated, “not every program that helps vets is focused on females, that’s what gives “Our Home Transitional” a unique edge.” Meeting our donation goal of $50,000 dollars will mean being able to provide a greater opportunity for success to veterans like Natasha. Our team is made up of a group of committed philanthropists who understand that our female veterans represent much of the core of what makes America great. The board of directors contains a diverse skill set from the business community including Financial Advisors, CPA’S, Insurance Agents and Lawyers. The program will work in conjunction with, but not limited to; In the Grove, the VA, VetBiz Central, LearnKey Veterans Services, Workforce Development Vet’s Division, Land Bank, Single Veterans Mother’s Assistance Program and Cars4Vets.
Beyond providing services to people like Natasha, “Our Home Transitional” has a unique opportunity to purchase a spacious ten bedroom home near downtown Flint. With resources such as these, our program will not only be able to reintegrate female veterans back into civilian life but will also be able to work towards the revitalization and comeback of Flint. Our belief in companionship, compassion and commitment produces results. While at “Our Home Transitional” we provide our clients with household jobs and tasks designed to facilitate the necessary structure needed to promote greater success in society.
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