VCP makes a difference.
Case study
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Travis is an Army Veteran.
Travis’ job was eliminated when the Pandemic began. Discouraged and frustrated, Travis fell on tough times as he was not able to afford new tags for his vehicle; in this chapter of his life, he lost his license and had no transportation to get to and from employment opportunities. After continuously losing jobs due to this dynamic, he was back at square one.
Travis adores his preschool aged son, Luke, and was heartbroken to imagine that on top of losing his job and the income to pay expenses…he might also be unable to afford the cost of an Uber to pick up his son for his weekend visits or to give him a birthday gift.
Today, Travis is one of our inspirations for our new Battle Buddies Program which pairs Veterans in the Village with a neighbor for support. Travis was paired with another Veteran who was able to provide him words of encouragement, parenting advice from decades of experience as a father himself and help him find another neighbor to help with pick-ups and drop-offs until he is employed again. Our middle name is Community and our VCP Village Community showed up for Travis and he, in turn, is giving back to the Community.
Travis benefitted from Battle Buddies and stepped up to help start another Program in the Village, Morning Miles. The group walks and runs together throughout the week and Travis hasn't missed a day! He is passionate about exercise and even leads the stretches before we take off! He is still searching for a new job but this time around he gets to do it with the professional support of a VCP Case Manager AND with the encouragement from an entire Community of like-minded brothers and sisters.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
03
One of our original 13 Veterans came in today for a secondary interview, a chance at being housed at VCP.
Backstory:
Upon connecting in December 2017, this particular Veteran was sleeping at City Union Mission, couch surfing, and living out of random vehicles. During his time with VCP, we were able to connect him with food stamps, disability income, medical care, and a path toward a savings plan. Due to our operational tempo and creating one of the most unique and effective housing programs in US history, this Veteran was brave enough to continue our communication and seek a tiny home within our VCP village.
Today, this Veteran has been stability housed in our program and has put around $2,000 in savings. He is not in danger of losing his apartment and has not been homeless since we have worked with him. He currently lives in Springfield, Missouri.
When donors, volunteers, or anyone inquire about entry into VCP community program, we share this uniform message: Housing is based upon AVAILABILITY, NECESSITY, AND STAGES OF CHANGE. Simple put: Is there a house open? Where are you currently living and how deep is your housing necessity? Are you ready for VCP's life changing assistance?
The VCP team has created a life changing program. We house Veterans looking for an effective and efficient program because the level of support we provide is unmatched.
Note: The above-mentioned Veteran served only 62 days in military service; no one would even consider helping him. We are committed to serving ALL veterans independent of how they were discharged, bureaucratic stipulations or bias.
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Lawrence is an Army Veteran.
Lawrence is one of our earliest residents to enjoy VCP Village of Tiny Homes. He is working on his transition plan and hopes to buy a home in the coming months. Lawrence started the process to apply for a loan this week and we spent part of today discussing how excited he is to have a forever home.
Lawrence grew up in a military family and moved around a lot in his youth between several states, so a ‘permanent’ home is something he has craved for a long time. VCP gave him the stability to get his finances in order to accomplish that lifelong dream. If that wasn't enough excitement for one week, Lawrence also began taking classes to complete his education to work in his desired career field, IT.
Through VCP partnerships with a local job training program, Lawrence has received an excellent education and is now an essential worker enjoying full-time employment in a meaningful and growing industry.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
Conner is an Army Veteran.
After deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, VCP was honored to welcome Connor home to Veterans Community Project. A courageous and decorated Army Veteran, Connor served our nation for three and a half years as a field artilleryman.
Page, his 9-month-old German Shepherd, is also settling into the VCP neighborhood. And VCP's new dog park goes along way to serve ‘man’s best friend’.
Connor's parents were on campus to help him with the move into his very own tiny house. Though it was a bittersweet moment that most parents can appreciate, they expressed gratitude for the existence of VCP, knowing it is where their son will receive the guidance, camaraderie, and wrap-around services he needs for healing and re-introduction into a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Mom and Dad, we have Connor's back and yours, too. He is finally home.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
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Angie is a Navy Veteran.
She is a loving mother to two adult children and a rambunctious rescue dog. She spent so much of her life caring for others that, for a time, she forgot to take care of herself. Angie was the primary caregiver to her mother when she died, suffering immeasurable grief, she struggled to pick herself up again and found herself homeless.
Angie has accomplished so much while at VCP!
She has worked towards her personal goals and will transition in the coming months to her very own apartment through another Kansas City program that partners with VCP. When we met last week, Angie reflected on her time at VCP.
She reflected on all of her accomplishments and the lifelong friendships she has made here. She shared personal testimony to what ‘moving on’ into a healthy lifestyle meant to her. I thought she would focus on her plans for her apartment but instead, she talked about the next person who would move into her house and her hopes for the same positive outcomes during their time at VCP.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
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Jessica is an Air Force Veteran.
She had been living out of her car since the holidays when she escaped a very violent attack in her home. Jessica learned about VCP because of our Outreach Team at the FOB/Coalition Site at HopeFaith. I don't know how much longer she would have made it on the streets if she hadn't found VCP. She was struggling mightily before Covid-19 and the dynamics of the Pandemic made life that much more difficult to survive.
Enter VCP. VCP leaders did an incredible job of taking care of Jessica and quickly connected her to one of our trained Case Managers in the Village. VCP paid for her to quarantine in a nearby hotel for a couple of weeks until she could move into a Tiny Home within the Village. Her house was lovingly set up by a team of incredible women, both volunteers as well as VCP staff members, who following COVID-19 social distance protocols, worked double time so as to ensure Jessica’s new Tiny House felt like home. It was very emotional for her to walk in on move-in day and hear that so much love had been poured into her safe little home. With tears of joys and an appreciative smile, Jessica noticed every loving detail.
At our first meeting, Jessica asked how VCP got started and I shared how a group of Kansas City Vets refused to see their brothers and sisters forgotten on the streets. These same leaders committed themselves, through a new and innovative program, to eradicate Veteran homelessness not only in KC, but on a nationwide scale. Jessica choked up when I told her that they not only started the organization but they also helped build the houses alongside a community of volunteers. She was so touched by their sacrifice and asked, "they really did this for me?"
Jessica’s separation from the military had left her feeling outcast and forgotten and it was overwhelming for her to be welcomed home into a house built by her fellow Veterans. One of my favorite moments at my time at VCP was getting to introduce Jessica to Brandonn and Matt Burasco and sharing that they were the Veterans who helped build her new home.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
Daniel is an Army Veteran.
Background:
As VCP’s goal is to end Veteran homelessness, one of the ways to meet that goal is targeting individuals in crisis, then creating support mechanisms to prevent them from becoming a yet another statistic. The reality is many people are one emergency away from becoming homeless. Our Emergency Assistance Fund allows us to give Veterans the financial support they need, before the domino effect of debt, eviction, poor credit, and depression reduces them to homelessness.
And in many cases, these emergency funds impact not only the Veteran but the family they are supporting. That was the case with Daniel, when he came to VCP on a cold January day in need of financial assistance.
Quote: “I like to be the first person to offer help for others, but now I find myself in a situation that I need to ask for help,” Daniel said. It was the perfect storm. Daniel and his wife had been raising their 13-year-old granddaughter when a financial crisis had transpired to an eviction notice and nowhere to live but their car.
Daniel had been working 40- 50 hours a week for Uber so he could tend to his disabled wife’s medical needs during the day and drive through the night. Living paycheck to paycheck, they were able to get by on food stamps and his income until his car broke down in Mid-December. Daniel’s landlord worked with them for as long as he could, but after three months of unpaid rent, they were evicted.
Opportunity:
Daniel only asked for enough to cover his car repair so he could turn on the heater and be able to drive for Uber again. But after hearing Daniel’s story, the VCP team knew he deserved more than a band-aid to get by for the next month. We wanted to ensure that him and his family never had to sleep in their car again. With an ice storm fast approaching, we were able to provide temporary housing at an extended stay while we connected Daniel with housing resources.
Take Away:
With emergency funding dispersed, we were able to connect Daniel with a resource that would place Daniel and his family in housing and secure rental assistance until they were able to become financially stable again. One week later, I got a call from Daniel. They had found a 3-bedroom home and he was able to secure a job driving with more substantial income and the flexibility to care for his wife’s medical needs during the day. Now that they had the stability they needed AND their granddaughter was able to re-enroll in school.
VCP’s Emergency Assistance Fund does more than offer financial support, it is the safety net to ending veteran homelessness before it starts.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
Ukyira is a 26-year-old Navy Veteran.
Ukyira slept in her leaky early 2000s Jeep Cherokee outside VCP’s facilities on a cold October day. Ukyira had showed up two hours early and waited in her car afraid that she might miss her appointment. This was after staying up all night out of fear that if she fell asleep, all her belongings would be stolen or worse.
As a VCP case manager, sifting through housing applications is a daily occurrence but even with all the necessary information printed out, you never truly know a person’s story until they walk in. It didn’t take a minute looking at her application to see the years of pain and vulnerability written on the pages and on her face. Ukyira wasn’t just looking for shelter, she needed a place that she could finally feel safe.
Background:
Ukyira wore her hair back in a polished bun as if she was going to a job interview. And although she was in her early 20’s, her guarded nature aged her. She was strong and had built up a resilience after serving in the Navy for five years…but upon returning from deployment, her only home was the broken place she endured years of abuse. Destitute and with no local friends, support or resources, Ukyira started living out of her car, hanging out at the library during the day and scouting out safe places to park for an hour or two of sleep at night.
Opportunity:
While Ukyira’s acknowledged that she contributed to her homelessness and her addiction to alcohol, she also agreed she needed a fresh start, four walls and a roof over her head. She needed to accept the support of the VCP team and face her traumatic background and addiction head on.
Slowly, and over the next couple months, Ukyira began to look forward to the classes the VCP community offers. Once she was able to transition out of survival mode and focus on a positive path forward, she could see herself in a bright, safe and secure future.
Takeaway:
Ukyira will always be an intrinsically independent person. Now she realizes she doesn’t need to live in isolation in order to feel in control. As her 26th birthday approaches, she proudly displayed the esthetician certification she passed. Ukyira is finally making decisions that put her in control of her future and has established a network outside of her family that she can trust. When we talk about her future career plans, a genuine smile replaces her once guarded expression “As an esthetician, I want to make people feel as beautiful as I do. Now I have that opportunity.”
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
Irving is an Army Veteran.
Background:
A worn photograph creased down the middle was paperclipped to the front of Irving’s housing application. “This is why I’m here – so you know what I’m fighting for,” Irving said, as he pointed to the picture of his three children. There was an earnestness about him despite his past as he shared his spiral into addiction that led to his homelessness. He didn’t use the picture of his children as a bargaining chip or a sympathy card, rather, Irving used the picture to symbolize his only reason worth living – being reunited with his family.
A quiet disposition and contemplative nature, Irving always weighed his words carefully before speaking. After serving three back-to-back combat tours in Kuwait, Irving struggled to transition back into his civilian life and turned to alcohol to ease the pain. With three young children, and a battle with addiction, Irving could not hold onto both.
With a failed marriage and no money to fall back on – Irving found himself living in his car, miles away from the only family knew. Depressed and cold, he passed out in the driver seat with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. The DUI that followed was an awakening and after posting bail, Irving knew his only chance of getting his life and children back was committing to his sobriety and getting off the streets.
Opportunity:
As he slipped his photo back into his jacket pocket, he turned to leave. It was early November and with the freezing temps setting in, we knew that there was no way we could let him leave that housing interview without a place to stay. Irving teared up as we told him to collect his things from his car and move into house #15.
“This is the break I needed,” he said emotionally as he stood in the doorway of his new home.
Although Irving still had legal challenges, Irving works hard being employed full time at a call center as a customer service rep while he integrated himself into the VCP community. When he can, he takes as many overtime hours as possible to keep up with child support and pay off his legal fines. Even after getting off an 11- hour shift, he would show up to case management with a smile on his face and a new story to share about a customer antics. When Irving’s court date came up, it was an easy decision for VCP to advocate on his behalf because he had proved since day one he was just as committed as we were to helping him end his homelessness.
Takeaway:
It’s Saturday, and Irving waves as he leaves the village to drive to his daughter’s weekend volleyball tournament. With 90 days of sobriety under his belt and a renewed sense of hope, Irving has is rebuilding his relationship with his children. He still has a ways to go but that faded photo remains from day one as an constant reminder of how far he’s come and what he continues to fight for.
VCP makes a difference.
Case study
Don is a 75-year-old Army Veteran.
Don and his wife have been living in their house for 15 years.
He helped his daughter out a few months ago which put him behind on his mortgage payment schedule. There are very limited organizations that assist with mortgage situations. The mortgage company would not accept partial payments…the full amount, paid in full, was the only acceptable solution.
The total amount equaled $7,568. Don had $4,000 he could pay toward the balance, but he needed help with the rest. I was able to get help from two VCP partnering organizations for the remaining $3,614. He was then fully caught up!
We worked with this Veteran for three full weeks and countless hours as we did not want him losing his housing stability.
VCP makes a difference.