As the country honors its servicemen and servicewomen tomorrow, Navy veteran Tim Pollard will be able to mark the holiday this year in the comfort of his own home.
The 62-year-old is settling into a Boston apartment thanks to a public/private initiative to find homes for 100 of the city's homeless vets in 100 days.
After the death of his brother, for whom he had been an in-home caregiver, Pollard found himself homeless in 2011. He turned to the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, where he had been living until landing his apartment a month ago with rental assistance through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.
"It's a beautiful apartment — a second-floor walkup, one bedroom," he said. "I can't beat the location. Awesome is the closest word I can describe."
Pollard had bunked dormitory-style for nearly 2 1⁄2 years at the Court Street center, where he now works part-time in security and operations. "I just wanted to get back on my feet, get reoriented again, try to get some kind of steady employment and get housing," he said. "It's been rough, but if it wasn't for (the center), I don't know what I would have done."
The city's Department of Neighborhood Development is leading the "Home of the Brave" initiative to house 100 vets as part of the federal government's goal to end homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015. It's joined by the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, the Pine Street Inn and HomeStart.
The agencies created a registry of homeless vets looking for housing. Twenty-six got housing through VASH vouchers, 28 moved in with family or friends, 19 are renting private apartments, and the rest are in homes through subsidy programs such as Section 8. Each gets support services to ensure they're able to remain housed.
Though the goal is to help 100 homeless vets, the city will sustain the effort, said Elizabeth Doyle, Boston's deputy director for supportive housing. "We've uncovered some places where we can improve," she said. "We can coordinate better. We can make sure the right resources are getting to the right veterans. We're hoping to attract some landlords also."
An annual city census of homeless vets conducted last December documented 457 in Boston.
"One is too many," said Andy McCawley, CEO of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans. "We see veterans in their 20s and veterans in their 80s. We have been serving an increasing number ... from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."
To make vets' transition into housing easier, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance is soliciting funds and items such as furniture, new mattresses and basic household items.
Pollard, meanwhile, is trying to get his apartment furnished before the holidays. "I'm keeping everything minimized because settling in, you do have to watch your pennies," he said.
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