Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Neighborhoods Employment Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2006 Veterans Homeless Outreach Transitional Living Program Director Richard Thomas is working toward creation of a veterans� outreach center. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Veterans outreach center slated for Medford The center would be like a permanent Stand Down for vets who need assistance By Paul Fattig Mail Tribune A veteran's outreach center for homeless men and women who once wore the nation's military uniforms is being planned for Medford. The mission is to build the center at the 6,500-square-foot Interfaith Care Community building in the 600 block of Grape Street. A fund drive to raise roughly $100,000 for the center will begin in January with the goal of holding an open house on Memorial Day next year. The center would be a hub for homeless veterans, said Sharon Schreiber, Interfaith Care Community director for the past 11 years. The center already serves about 800 people a month, most of whom are veterans, she noted. "Most of the time they are all looking for something spiritual or job-related, trying to put their lives back together," she said. "For some of them, their lives were short-circuited by their military experience, and they were never able to find their place in society again." The center would provide everything from legal services and counseling to a place to work out or simply chat with others who have worn a uniform, she said. Advertisement "We want to be the conduit for homeless veterans here," she said. "This will provide a place where they can come and talk to one another. We want to make it as simple and easy as possible for them to get back on their feet." In essence, the center would be the equivalent of a permanent Veterans Stand Down similar to the one held in White City, according to Richard Thomas, 38, a disabled Army veteran who oversees the center's veterans homeless outreach transitional living program. "The concept of a veteran's outreach center is to provide crisis services — showers, clothing, food," he said. "But we would also include things like counseling, case management, legal aid." It would not compete with services provided at the VA's Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center & Clinics (SORCC) in White City, the Jackson County Veterans Services Office or the Veterans Center in Grants Pass, he stressed. "In no way are we trying to replace them," he said, noting each one provides an important service for the diverse veteran population. "We want to work in conjunction with them." The new center would simply provide another hand to help veterans back on their feet in Medford, Thomas said. "A lot of homeless veterans have a whole range of issues that need to be met before they can live independently," he said. "We'll deal with their immediate needs, get them in a safe environment, then deal with their addiction and mental health issues." Most homeless veterans already coming to the interfaith facility are Vietnam-era veterans, although they are now also seeing veterans of the Iraq war, he said. Part of the veterans services now provided at the facility is the transitional living program for veterans, a collaborative project formed in 2004 with the SORCC and a community-based agency called Disability Advocates for Social Independent Living (DASIL), he said. "This was created to primarily serve homeless veterans," Thomas explained. "With the center, we want to meet the needs of veterans transitioning out of the SORCC and the VA hospital in Roseburg." The program now has 24 VA-funded beds in the community, all in four houses in west Medford, Thomas said. The Salvation Army has another 10 beds in a similar program. "Our hope is to get them into the work force or training," he said, noting the veteran's outreach center would help them achieve that mission. Harold Nelson, 65, a retired Army master sergeant who now serves as a case manager at the center, knows how homeless veterans feel. He arrived in the valley nearly a decade ago as a patient at the SORCC. "At the time, I was struggling with substance abuse issues and dying of cancer," he said, citing his religious beliefs for much of his recovery. "Most veterans who are homeless are hopeless, and to a certain degree helpless," he added. "They just need that one spot that is safe where they can gather themselves and move forward. We want to provide a one-stop shop for them right here." Fellow case manager Jay Cummings, 46, a former Navy corpsman, agreed. "Creating a vet center here is a great idea to help them stay connected once they get out of treatment," he said. "This will provide them with camaraderie where they can come together, discuss their problems and combine ideas to find jobs. Most veterans are used to working as a unit. The center would provide that unit." Anyone wanting to contribute to the center project can mail it to the Veterans Outreach Center Fund, C/O Interfaith Care Community, 601 N. Grape St., Medford 97501. For additional information, call Schreiber on her cell phone at 973-3269 or her office at 779-8564. "We've always had a reputation of doing more with less," she said, adding, "We will get this done." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or at [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing GMAT Prep Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com