Posted on 06/24/2014 6:42:42 AM PDT by GailA
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A disabled veteran and father is living out of his car, because he said the Memphis VA will not help him.
Lonnie Whitfield was living with a friend, but ran out of options when that person decided to move.
The VA sent WREG a statement explaining the programs they have in place to help people like Whitfield.
They have vouchers for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA Supportive Housing Program, or HUD-VASH as it is called.
However, they only had 380 vouchers for the Memphis and Jackson areas, and said they are currently out.
“This is my place, for right now,” disabled Marine veteran Lonnie Whitfield said sadly, motioning to his small car. “I stay between here, and I have a friend’s house that I stay with from time to time…Wash my personal things or whatever.”
The car is not just a way to get from place to place for Whitfield, it is where he is living.
“I lost my place three weeks ago,” he said. “I have two kids that I share custody with, that stay with their mother, because I can’t do anything right now.”
Whitfield is only 28 years old.
He suffers from several mental disorders and said he never expected he would be homeless after receiving an honorable discharge from the military.
“Coming home…it’s been a big slap in the face,” he said. “Veterans don’t get treated too friendly around here.”
Whitfield is trying to get back on his feet.
He is taking accounting courses at a community college and went to the Memphis VA to apply for housing through the HUD-VASH program.
He said he was sent back and forth between VA offices four different times and was finally told they could not do anything for him, “They finally told me then that they don’t have any vouchers…that they haven’t had any in over a year.”
The VA said they do not have any vouchers available now, but hope to have 15 more for the Jackson, Memphis areas later in the summer.
Whitfield insists he is not looking for handouts, just the respect and assistance he feels he and other veterans have earned, “If everyone values their freedom, they should value the people who fought for their freedom.”
The VA said they could not talk about Whitfield’s specific request for help.
They said they do have several other programs available to help homeless vets in the area.
If you would like to reach out to Private First Class Whitfield, email us at news@wreg.com
ping
I recently heard that there is an empty monastery in IL or an empty office complex in MD, or an abandoned college in VA that can house probably many homeless vets. And the there is tax money to help them pay for food and clothing plus free legal representation and recreation available too. They did have groups ready to be moved into these places but the community didn’t want them.
Well come on, if we help the vets then that takes money away from the foreign invaders at the border and terrorists at Gitmo, and we can’t have that.
Chuck the illegal turdlings der Fuehrer is bringing in back across the border they illegally crossed. Don’t care about them, let them die if need be; that’s on their home governments and the Mexican government who allowed them and helped them to get to the border.
All the money and services being showered on them needs to go to our own citizens in need.
This is another example of racism pushed by our rats when a person of color like this Marine needs help.
He gets zero help, and we will be spending millions and probably billions on the health care of Obozo’s and Biden’s swarms of illegals from south of the border.
My tagline sums up the agenda of the Obozo and his thugs.
Can’t help him because of all the money being diverted to house the illegal aliens flooding the border.
It makes me angry that we can add MILLIONS of people to the SS disability rolls, and hardly any of these people are disabled, and we can add TENS OF MILLIONS more onto food stamps and other government handouts, but we cannot make a place for vets who served honorably? This is a DISGRACE! I know that there may be other circumstances to this story, but it still stands that a vet who served honorably and is not a felon should be able to get housing assistance and food stamps, and medical attention. They were promised medical attention when they signed up. To abandon that promise is disgraceful and illegal.
It seems to me that we really need to get focus groups working on each of these “scandals” so that they don’t go away. We need to get the attention (and KEEP it) of dozens of elected officials for each one. This admin is counting on the fact that all the scandals will eventually go away because people will tire of the immensity of them. I say NO WAY!
A single US MALE cannot get food stamps. They are also turned down for Medicaid, even if married with a kid.
We just went through this last year with my eldest who is married, 1 child, he lost his job with health ins thanks to 0’s destruction of the economy. PT job was all he could find no health ins. His wife was a full time CNA at a nursing home, which did not offer them health ins. So when his job went so did their health care.
She gets kicked in the breast by a patient, what is thought to be a hematoma turned out to be a walnut size tumor. For her it was a lucky kick. Stage 3 breast cancer, both receptors. Medicaid turned them down. Food stamps too. Until I involved their local state Rep. Then she and the kid got Medicaid, he regular, she Breast and Cervical Cancer. The school system was set to kick my grandson out of school over a vaccine they could not afford. She has had her mastectomy, and has finished her Chemo, still has at least 5 yrs of hormone suppressants to take, a total hysterectomy with no HRT would benefit her more and be cheaper in the long run.
My son is a type 2 diabetic. Does not qualify for Medicaid. Thus no medicine, no doctor, no test supplies. And if he works over the ‘government’ controlled hrs, his wife and son lose their health care. It is a no win situation for them until she is done with the cancer treatments. She worked in the health field and has not been allowed to work by her Oncologist, so that income was lost too.
Yet Illegal INVADERS MALE is given the health care benefits my son a US CITIZEN is denied. He has worked since he was 16 often up to 70+ hrs a week. Now he has noting, and no hope left, they live in poverty now, and it has made him quite bitter. And still sick. No way out.
Which is why I’ve kept posting the Express Script info. It is the next brewing scandal. Just the complaints alone make that a fact, the fraud should have disqualified them from this DOD contract. They spent Millions last year installing $7k speed bumps in 5 mph parking lots on Military bases at Commissary and Exchanges, not in any of the ‘work’ areas, except at the gates. Those I can buy as security. But not useless ones in a 5 mph parking lot.
“He is taking accounting courses at a community college”
But he can’t work?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.