Building community partnerships help homeless Veterans

Two non-profit organizations were recently recognized with a Coin of Excellence at the Coatesville VA Medical Center for their continued service and support of Veterans transitioning into permanent housing in Chester, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties.

David’s Drive 831 and the Community Warehouse Project representatives were celebrated on December 1, by the social workers from Coatesville VA that they work with regularly and were presented with the Coin of Excellence by the Executive Medical Center Director, Jennifer Harkins.

Building Partnerships
“These long-term partnerships we have built and are building in the community extend the care we provide here and support Veterans as they work to successfully integrate into the community.”

Social workers from Coatesville VA’s Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program work to help homeless Veterans and their families find and sustain permanent housing and access health care, mental health treatment, substance use counseling, and other support they need to maintain housing in the community while they recover.

The Community Warehouse Project’s Executive Director, Glenda Brion, has been partnered with Coatesville VA for six years, and has coordinated 95 furniture deliveries ranging from a single piece of furniture to a full complement for a studio apartment, potentially saving each Veteran thousands of dollars in costs.

Coordinating Efforts
“Who has that much money coming out of homelessness? That’s not going to happen. We get them started so they are not feeling ‘less than’ because they don’t have a sofa to sit on or a table or dishes while they are trying to find their way.”

Community Warehouse Project receives a request for furniture from one of the social workers at Coatesville VA. The request contains a list of what the Veteran needs, the move-in date and the address. Brion’s team will pick out items from their warehouse and coordinate the furniture delivery.

“This is a perfect example of when we work together, we surround Veterans with support by providing them with not just medical care, services, and benefits but many of the essentials they will need,” said Harkins.

Supporting Veterans on Day One
Long-time partner, power advocate for Veterans and founder of David’s Drive 831 (DD831), Dave Turner, has been coordinating donations for Veterans for the last 14 years. Among his many other donation initiatives, Turner has purchased beds for the Community Warehouse Project to give to Veterans. DD831 has supplied 750 beds to Veterans entering permanent housing and shares the excitement he has witnessed during furniture deliveries.

“They get so excited when the furniture arrives. They say, ‘I’m going to put my couch over here. Put my feet up over here.’ You’re talking about four pieces of furniture. It’s not much but it makes them feel at home, that they are not forgotten. It gives them hope.”

Deliveries are scheduled for the move-in date, so the Veterans have someplace to sit and sleep their first night in their new home.

To donate to previously homeless Veterans moving into permanent housing contact Coatesville VA’s Center For Development and Civic Engagement or CDCE office at 610-384-7711, then dial extension 4228.

If you are or know of a military Veteran who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838.