LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – In its 8th year helping veterans with everything from food insecurity to car repairs, the Lynchburg Area Veteran’s Council has noticed the biggest battle here at home is homelessness.
30-year retired Army Colonel Tom Current says the council has helped two dozen veterans find a place to stay over the past year, working with the Virginia Continuum of Care, and providing motel rooms until they are qualified for housing through the commonwealth.
“There’s a constant influx of veterans that are not sheltered. And here with the cold weather, we hit a real spike,” says Current, who is also the president of the council. “Some of them have kind of hit bottom. Rough domestic situations. Problems with post-traumatic stress. Some of them have problems with substance abuse or lost their jobs due to COVID.”
Making sure no soldier is left behind requires resources from all over.
The organization has applied for a $10,000 grant from the Homes for Heroes Foundation. That money could provide a little over six months of housing at the birthplace of an iconic Lynchburg hero Desmond Doss. His family home is property of the council and can house up to three veterans at a time.
“It’s been dedicated as the Desmond T. Doss veterans’ home in Lynchburg, so there are homeless veterans living there now,” adds Current.
The grant will be awarded to the organization with the most votes.
To chip in, click here.
