By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Vietnam veteran Clint Geddis is thrilled to go through mail at his kitchen table or to fold laundry because he once called the streets home. And now?
“I just love coming home at the end of the day,” he said.
To a two-bedroom home in Trenton a few years ago. Local agencies helped Clint, who was once addicted to drugs and alcohol, settle into a house. Now he worries about his fellow service members.
“There’s a lot of vets out there that won’t ask for help. They refuse to ask for help. We were taught how to survive,” he said.
Which is why Mercer County, the city of Trenton and the Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness want vets to get the help they need, says Alliance Executive Director Frank Cirillo. Together they took on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness by the end of 2015.
“We had identified the whole population of single adults who were in homelessness and we broke out, specifically had broken out veterans and we found there were 79 in the community who were currently homeless,” he said.
All the veterans are now in permanent housing, except for two who declined the offer, says Frank. The process took about a year.
“That is the cornerstone of what the Alliance believes is the best vehicle for keeping people out of homelessness. Permanent housing creates a sense of place, creates a sense of stability, of well being. It’s really a quality of life issue with most people,” Cirillo said.
“We believe here in the city of Trenton everyone should have a right to have somewhere to live. It’s good for our veterans as well to be a part and included in that process to provide housing for those that would go fight for us and come back to provide them with housing,” said Mayor Eric Jackson.
The Alliance received the veterans’ names from area organizations that work with the homeless community. That information was sent to Trenton’s recently opened Coordinated Entry and Assessment Services Center.
At the CEAS Center, the chronically homeless meet with case managers to find permanent housing that suits their needs. Frank says homeless veterans are prioritized here.
Most veterans have vouchers from the federal government, says Frank, to help cover the rent. Case managers reach out to landlords and community groups that offer housing. After the vets are handed the keys, they’re provided with support services.
“When we get people in housing first, put a roof over their head, we’re more able to wrap around services — get them drug treatment that they need, get them the food that they need, get them the social services that they need to really have a handle on the problems that are facing them,” said Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes.
Frank insists identifying the names of the veterans has been fundamental to the program’s success.
“It’s to take the label and stigma of homelessness and put it on the back end of things. What we do is address them, as vets, recognize their contribution, talk to them about what they need as human beings, fellow human beings who happen to be homeless,” he said.
These leaders agree although they’ve helped house veterans, the problem won’t disappear. But with a system in place, they’re confident they’ll continue to help vets like Clint find a place to call home.