Each year, more than 80 homeless veterans find a place to call home at
Richards House.
This month's VOC spotlight comes from a feature article at Military.com highlighting the veteran homelessness crisis we are facing in America. Veterans Outreach Center Executive Director and U.S. Army Veteran Laura Stradley said:
"We're probably going to see a huge spike" in the number of homeless veterans when the eviction moratorium ends and unemployment benefits run out, said Laura Stradley, a former Army staff sergeant and Executive Director of the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester, New York. "Our major concern is on the flip side of the moratorium."
She said an "odd phenomenon was at play" during the harsh winter months that helped keep homeless veterans off the streets.
Families tend to be more willing to allow relatives dealing with unemployment or mental health issues to stay with them in the winter, but they lose patience as the weather warms, Stradley said.
"We're kind of all bracing for this onslaught on needs that will be present that we may or may not be able to meet. It's going to be, I think, a pretty heavy lift," she said. "If we have an onslaught of people coming in that are in great need -- will we be able to provide that level of care and service to each person that comes in when the time comes? I mean, we'll do everything in our power to make that happen, but it's going to be a challenge."
