Some states fund homeless veteran housing, in various forms--never the VA. Sometimes it's a kinda scuzzy day shelter, meaning you can sleep and eat there but have to leave in the mornings. Sometimes it's a place more like a boarding house. I live at one of these: you pay a third of your income and get a roommate, or $400 a month for a room to yourself. These are not The Hilton.
Often the state (not the VA) then looks for a GOOD social worker on site, to help find services; and for a GOOD nurse on site and a GOOD job finder person on site. Not lousy VA services. Meals may be free, using food from the local food bank. Perhaps you may use their social services or get free on-site meals, even though you don't live there. Be bold--ask!
I am termed "homeless veteran" but I have a roof over my head--in fact, my own room, for which I am grateful.
For the location of a facility, the VA almost never tells seriously ill patients. Instead, try calling a public day shelter for drunks / hard drug users (not a place for a sick Lyme patient--very dangerous and they may not have a frig for meds, nor a secure location for expensive meds and often Home Healthcare nurses won't go near those places.) Call because they may know of a place for veterans in your area. If not, ask about the surrounding cities or states.
Or ask your democratic congressperson's local office people.
Veterans can go to: http://www.nchv.org/ (National Coalition For Homeless Veterans.)At that site, on the left, click and hold the "homeless" reference, then click "providers." You may find clues. Some places on there don't exist, never have. With others you may not be able to tell if it's a live-in place.
Please spread the word. And there are hundreds of thousands of we female vets, too!
Please tell veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. They are probably the most ill treated of all veterans, by the VA.
By the way, the VA refuses to properly diagnose and to properly treat chronic Lyme disease patients. That is their nationwide, unwritten policy.
Service-connected contraction of Lyme disease may be possible, but you have to fight! Search for Military Lyme Support at Yahoo, or try health.groups.yahoo.com/group/militarylyme/
Here is [URL=http://www.streetsthatspeak.com,][/URL] a public forum for those homeless or going homeless.
Good luck everyone.
Daise
VA's
[ 26. October 2007, 10:52 PM: Message edited by: daise ]
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
daise,
thank you for sharing your expertise in this area as well! i think you covered all 3 major areas you wrote to me about privately.
this will help generate more discussion and other tips, etc. to help the veterans, lyme patients, etc.
i'll find out more about iowa's natl. guard employees about lyme disease as i was told in june or july that IOWA WAS NOW PAYING BILLS OR LYME PTIENTS WHO ARE GUARD MEMBERS!
Posted by minoucat (Member # 5175) on :
Daise, thank you so much for posting this. You speak for people we often don't hear from and tend to forget. I hope we hear more from you.
I've added your info to my Disablity thread.
I'm so very glad you've found this site. It's dreadful that the most vulnerable and needy amongst us have the least access to the internet, and to information, medical care, and help in general.
There are many people in our LD group who don't have the gas money to attend meetings, who are not online, and who can afford only limited time on their phones. And those are the ones I know about -- it makes me ill to think of the people who are falling entirely through the cracks.
Posted by daise (Member # 13622) on :
Howdy minoucat,
Thanks for your post.
I'm getting prolonged antibiotic treatment outside the VA and I am getting better. I'll just steer this ship along a steady course.
I'm lucky.
Maybe the folks in your group could find help at my post under the Medical forum, called "VA ... Calling all vets."
Or under the General Support forum called "BIG SECRET... about Social Security." Plus there is additional vet information there.
Perhaps you'd like to see the Activism forum, under my post, "Chronic Lyme Patient Poll idea."
Most of the vets here, where I live, have bad PTSD. A number have serious illnesses. Substance abuse problems.
I'm grateful to have a roof over my head--and a donated computer. Plus my sailing ship. Hurray!
Take care,
Daise
[ 28. October 2007, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: daise ]
Posted by daise (Member # 13622) on :
Hi BettyG
The National Guard--great thought. Ya. Let me know!
Daise
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
daise,
glad you and minoucat hooked up! she will add the lnks to your post in her HUGE file folder of info!!
this way when you add more to YOUR PRESENT POSTS, since she linked YOUR post, all readers will get that too! pretty neat huh.
yes, i'll see what else i can find out from iowa national guard higher-ups IF i attend my older brother's sendoff from there!
Posted by daise (Member # 13622) on :
BettyG,
You said, yes, i'll see what else i can find out from iowa national guard higher-ups IF i attend my older brother's sendoff from there!
Where's he going?
Daise
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
daise,
oops; slip of the tongue; send off meaning RETIREMENT!
i wasn't able to make it down that day; couldn't find a ride with my other brothers! with the high volume traffic, i didn't want to drive alone.
so didn't get a chance to talk to the higher ups as i planned on doing about their lyme/tick policies!
if i get a chance, i'll try to ask at xmas time, since 2 will be there; 1 retiree and 1 still working! they are so secretitive; so don't hold your breath!
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