The Veterans Day Parade in Orlando is a great thing. Organizations from all over the region march down the streets of downtown Orlando celebrating our brothers and sisters who served to protect freedom. It’s a beautiful sight to be seen.
But after that parade and the meal specials, veterans in Orlando, especially the struggling ones here in the City Beautiful are forgotten.
This has been a painful reminder to me recently as I write you struggling to find housing here.
That’s not to say that our community isn’t grateful. They are. But when it’s time to do the the work and carry out delivery of the benefits we’ve earned, many of the organizations responsible begin to flake.
Service partners who collect government appropriations don’t return phone calls or emails.
And many of our elected officials simply reply with a phone number to the VA when we go to them for help.
I’ve learned this all personally, the hard way. You’ll never feel more alone than you will at a bus stop wondering where you’re going to stay in the coming nights.
Am I angry? Most of the time I am. If you’ve read my stuff for any period of time you know that I believe that if you’re working a hard, full time schedule that I believe you should be to afford a place in the community I great up in.
And double that if you honorably fulfilled your pledge to serve the United States of America.
Now, as I live through this again, I’m sad and frightened.
Because I know that no one will be looking for us until the next parade. And who knows how we’ll survive until then?
Next: Read about what most homeless Orlando veterans want HERE
Friends, times are tough. If you’d like to help out the blog below, it would help a lot. If you have any questions please email Torres.fjr@gmail.com
Thank you.
2 Comments