Navy Veteran: From the Streets to Stability

“Hi, I’m a Navy veteran who spent 25 years on the streets.  I have a lot of stories, but want to share how much The United Effort Organization helped me to finally achieve stable housing. For this story, please call me Steve.”

Steve came to us in June 2022, looking for help finding services and a safe home. Our first step was to refer him to a shelter to help him get off the streets to a more stable environment.

During our comprehensive intake process, we got to know Steve and quickly learned that he had served in the Navy for over three years in the mid-1980s! He was getting CalFresh and was on Medi-Cal, but despite his veteran status, he was not receiving assistance from the the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). We knew that the HUD-VASH (VA Supportive Housing)  eligibility expansion in early 2021 meant he was eligible for a HUD-VASH housing voucher, a program for veterans experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness in which the voucher holder pays only 30% of their income for rent. Yet here was Steve, still homeless and receiving services from at least two other service providers, and neither had not considered VASH!

Wei, a volunteer at The United Effort, encouraged Steve to apply to the VA to see if his discharge status could be upgraded, which would make him eligible for VA healthcare as well as for service-connected disability compensation. Dave, another volunteer at The United Effort, then worked closely with Steve on his request for an upgrade. In mid-2023, Steve received a letter from the VA stating that his military service was honorable for VA purposes, making him eligible for VA benefits. This was a significant step forward for Steve!

In parallel, Claire, a United Effort volunteer, assisted Steve through the HUD-VASH process. Because The United Effort volunteers collaborate intensely and try to find many options, James, another United Effort volunteer, helped Steve with Section 8 Interest List sign-up, as back-up. With mentorship, support for many appointments, and collaboration among volunteers and with the VA, Steve eventually got a place through HUD-VASH and moved into his own apartment a few months later!

Steve said “Finding The United Effort literally turned my life around. I mean it. The United Effort was the only organization that listened to me, showed any interest in actually helping me. They helped me approach the VA to upgrade my discharge status so that I could be eligible for VA benefits in addition to a HUD-VASH housing voucher. I finally got housing because the VA had started housing veterans with OTH discharges. The United Effort was instrumental in helping me get my life back on track.”

Hear more from Steve:

“I grew up in Los Angeles. My parents didn’t hide the fact that they considered me an accident—an unplanned baby. At an early age, I felt unloved and acted out as a problem child. I shoplifted, started fires, and generally got into a lot of trouble. My parents eventually sent me to a psychiatrist.

My father was a Korean War Air Force veteran who was shell-shocked, which is what they called PTSD in those days. Both of my parents were marijuana dealers in the 1970s, and they both smoked, did drugs, and drank.

When I turned 17, my father signed me up for the military. I was sent overseas, and the military allowed me to have alcohol—a huge mistake that led me down several wrong paths for many years. I’ve now been sober for over seven years: I no longer drink, smoke marijuana, or do any drugs.

While I was overseas in the 1980s, I saw a lot of homeless people. I quickly realized that being homeless in Europe was far worse than being homeless in the United States. In the military, I witnessed some horrible things. For example, in 1981,  just a 17-year-old kid, I was on duty in Beirut when I saw 16-inch bullets shot at Hezbollah. In 1985, I saw the Challenger blow up almost over my head - I was only an hour away. Both were extremely traumatic.

I was just 10 months shy of my 4 years of service when I was caught trying marijuana. It was my very first time – I’d never tried it before – yet I received an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge. Those were the rules.

After my discharge, I was grateful to move in with my sister in San Jose, but she partied all the time with alcohol and marijuana. Though I got a job, it didn’t last long—only four or five months. In 1988, I became homeless for the first time. I met the woman I would marry in 1990, but she struggled with addiction and after seven years, we divorced.”

From 2000 to 2001, Steve became homeless again. He worked hard at whatever jobs he could find. “I did a lot of day labor and recycling to earn money. Between 2002 and 2004, I rode a freight train once, was homeless in several states” including Nevada (Las Vegas), Arizona (Phoenix), Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Florida before ending up back in the Bay Area.

“I have to say, my worst experience was in Florida, where I experienced repeated abuses just for being poor and unhoused. Once, while sitting in a park in Sarasota, reading a novel and drinking orange juice, a police officer told me to leave immediately. The police would actively search for homeless people to hassle—taking IDs and possessions, then marching them out of town. They would not return your things, which leaves you in a worse position. California has been the best because of the weather and mental health support.”

Being homeless also means being exposed to incredible dangers. In Steve’s case, he shared that  he had been hit while riding his bike a few times over the years. “Once, I broke my orbital socket, and another time I cracked my skull. I’m now diagnosed with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries). Honestly, if I didn’t have any morals and scruples, I could be a bad person, but I’m not—I’m a good person.”

“I went through the pandemic homeless. When they shut down restrooms, showers, and food services, it told me all I needed to know about how society thought about homeless people. It was just awful.”

Steve believes history is repeating itself, saying “people need to study and be aware of history to solve problems, but instead, I see problems being repeated. If we still had mental hospitals, which Ronald Reagan eliminated, it would help the homeless situation because by helping those with mental illness, we could better assist those who are not the troublemakers.”

Another frustration Steve wanted to share was about the 2024 Supreme Court ruling (Grants Pass v Johnson), saying “that it feels as if they’ve made it illegal to be homeless, which is baffling. What will they do, arrest everyone? They’ll burn through more money doing that without making any progress to help people overcome homelessness. The best idea I’ve heard is to direct people to other places outside the Bay Area; honestly, homeless people may as well use camo netting to hide.”

Now, in his apartment, Steve said he is prepared, keeping “enough supplies to survive an earthquake or pandemic for about a month. The VA says it will help with housing for life, for which I’m grateful, but I’m also someone who tries to be prepared.”

“Finding The United Effort literally turned my life around. I mean it. The United Effort was the only organization that listened to me, showed any interest in actually helping me. They helped me approach the VA to upgrade my discharge status so that I could be eligible for VA benefits in addition to a HUD-VASH housing voucher. I finally got housing because the VA had started housing veterans with OTH discharges. The United Effort was instrumental in helping me get my life back on track.”

Thank you Steve, for your vulnerability in sharing your story. It highlights the critical role of organizations like the United Effort Organization in transforming the lives of people facing homelessness.