A group of people gathered on the street corners of Natchitoches, Louisiana on Saturday morning to greet passersby with requests for donations for a shelter aid program for homeless veterans in Alexandria, Louisiana. A number of cars pulled over and put money in sacks that were held up for donations, while others drove right past the folks asking for money, while an interview was conducted with Catrina DeMattie, one of the volunteer members.
Homelessness among veterans is a serious problem nationwide, but according to the Veterans Administration the numbers have dropped about 18%. Those raising money on the street corner in Natchitoches, however, say the numbers are rising in Central Louisiana, where there are more than 580 homeless individuals, as DeMattie observed, as her organization has tracked the numbers. So what's now being done to help this group and others nationwide according to government news?
The U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) announced on March 26 a Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP). The VETS program believes that up to $5 million will be available for urban and non-urban areas, with a maximum award of $200,000 for grants that serve non-urban areas. The objectives of this grant are to provide veterans with meaningful employment and to stimulate delivery systems that will minimize or eradicate homelessness.
Resources are available for both reserve and active military people when they come home from the wars. These resources include education, life insurance, health benefits and counseling services, the information discussed here.
The Resource Mission for the Homeless Veterans in Alexandria is one of a number of organizations helping veterans in Alexandria in a variety of ways. The mission houses approximately 20 veterans at the present time. The unique difference between this mission and other groups is that it doesn't take grants because those agencies receiving government funds can't demand clients attend religious services. The Mission, however, requires veterans to attend regular religious services, but there is no restriction as to the type or denomination.
When asked specifically about this, the volunteer advocate, DeMattie, noted how Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous teach acknowledgment of a problem as part of the support given but do not present an ongoing spiritual support system. The mission believes having a spiritual resource is valuable in helping the homeless individuals regain a sense of purpose and self worth in rural areas,where the problem hasn't been highlighted in quite the same way as in the major cities.
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