By far the toughest part of trying to find housing in Orlando has been knowing when to quit fighting.
That sounds strange doesn’t it? Myself and many other veterans in the area are trained to do otherwise. You fight and you don’t give up.
But if you’re facing homelessness, you can’t really get help from the Department Of Veterans Affairs unless you’re on the street.
If you’re “couch surfing” like I have been, then you don’t qualify for services because you’re not technically considered homeless.
You have to go and stay in a shelter.
But that also puts struggling veterans in a tough position. Because as you read this, there is no allocated space for us in these shelters because of a fire that took place here in Orlando in February.
So, if you need help. You have to give up whatever support you have left.
But if you give up that support, you might be out on the street.
You see what I’m saying?
It’s why I was so skeptical when the area got $6.7 million dollars to serve veterans homelessness last year. Of course the money is great, but when the existing system is so flawed, it feels like its not making a difference.
And for myself and many other veterans in Orlando, it’s not.
You see it at the bus stations and parks. We’ve got no place to go.
Unless we completely give up. And even then there is no help guaranteed.
Don’t believe that the homelessness problem among veterans in Orlando has been solved. There are some good people working on it but it hasn’t.
But its real and I’m living it right now.
You can read more on the struggles of housing in Orlando HERE
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