On any given day, 200-thousand veterans in the United States are homeless.
The Department of Veterans affairs estimates more than a half million veterans may experience homelessness during the course of a year.
In New Hampshire, only three veteran housing programs exist in the state – with room for fewer than 80 veterans.
But new construction is underway in Nashua to provide the first veteran’s housing for men, women, and their families – all under one roof.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Amy Quinton has more.
Nashua's new 20 unit veteran's apartment complex. (Cheryl Senter, NHPR)
For two months, Manchester resident Ricardo Russell had no where to call home.
Most nights last winter, the 50-year-old Army veteran says he slept in his car – even on one of the coldest nights of the year.
1451 :09 (it was a painful time, I thought all kinds of things, just giving up, moving away..)
Russell says he had a son he could have turned to, but he was in Georgia.
And the veteran couldn’t bring himself to ask for help.
1454 :56 (I don’t want to do that, I’ve taught him independence and I don’t want him to see his father down on his luck, I don’t want my son to see me like this.)
Russell is one of an estimated 350 veterans statewide who are homeless.
Nashua-based Harbor Homes, a non-profit that helps provide housing, saw a huge increase in the numbers of homeless veterans shortly after 2002, says Executive Director Peter Kelleher.
1465 :30 Veterans in Nashua were not getting housing, in fact we had one veteran pass away who was unsheltered, homeless on the banks of the river in Nashua and we just started to see the numbers and began counting them and tried to figure out where there might be some resources.
Harbor Homes received two federal grants from the Veterans Administration to help homeless veterans.
The first grant helped them open Veterans First, a transitional housing program for single male honorably discharged vets.
Ricardo Russell found out about the program through the V-A.
1450 1:40 They gave me a roof over my head took me out of the cold, they gave me a two year opportunity to pull myself together, there’s no pressure, they give me resources here, without Veterans First, I don’t think I’d be in the position I am right now.
Veterans First offers male vets a dorm-like setting in Nashua where they have two years to find a job, save money, and secure permanent housing.
The program also helps vets get disability pay, counseling for substance abuse or mental health issues like post traumatic stress disorder.
Program Manager Heather Tarr says the program– which houses 16 men – has been more popular than expected.
1460 we’ve had over 100 probably close to 200 people apply for this program, we’ve been in operation for two and a half years doing this transitional program, we’ve had 23 people successfully complete the program, that means they came to us and were able to move onto permanent housing.
While the program is working, the need to provide affordable housing is overwhelming.
Peter Kelleher says Veterans First now has 50 people on its waiting list.
1468 1:28 in this building we’re serving single men, but on our list we had some single female veterans that we weren’t able to accommodate, in addition we had some that had small families so we wanted to try to find a way to make sure all of the veterans would have a place to be served.
1475 (nat sound …..)
Last spring, Harbor Homes broke ground on a new 20 unit apartment complex in downtown Nashua called Buckingham Place.
A run-down warehouse was torn down to make way for the three-story three-point-five million dollar project.
A second federal grant of 400-thousand dollars helped Harbor Homes construct it.
The rest of the money they’re raising from individuals.
(1473 2:16 that’s one of the apartments, it’s really very well made lots of sunlight..)
Buckingham Place will have 15 one bedroom units, and five two bedroom units.
Veteran’s First officials believe it’s the first veterans housing in the nation specifically designed for single female veterans, male veterans, and their families.
Heather Tarr says she hears from homeless veterans every day who are hoping to move in to the apartments.
1460 1:14 (there’s certainly people who are very excited and waiting cause it’s going to give them a chance to become more stable, they’re in the shelter, or bouncing from house to house, this is going to be home for them for up to two years, where they can really get grounded and focus on what’s going to help them move on)
Tarr says having apartments rather than a dorm-like setting also helps some veterans become more independent.
Most units will also be handicap accessible.
Like with the Veteran’s First program, the goal is to give veterans the skills necessary to integrate back into the community.
That’s something veteran Ricardo Russell is already doing.
1449 :44 (I went on to get my GED in three months since I’ve been here, I’ve worked part time jobs to help supplement my income, and now I’m enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University going for my bachelors degree in communications.)
Construction of Buckingham Place is scheduled to be complete in December.
Harbor Homes hopes the first veterans will be able to move in by January.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.
