Memorial Day Spotlight: Helping Veterans in Need
On this Memorial Day we remember those who have served our country and paid the ultimate price for our freedom and security. All of our brave veterans are heroes. Unfortunately some of them return home and face both financial and legal hardship. The Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is proud to partner with an organization called Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF). HVAF refers veterans directly to the Clinic for help with a variety of legal needs.
ICYMI: November 2019
In case you missed it, this November, we highlighted our partnership with HVAF of Indiana, Inc., featuring stories about our shared clients and discussing important issues affecting homeless veterans.
Helping Veterans and Families: A Message from Staff Attorney Matthew Gaudin
I remember the look on his face. It was a mixture of shame, sadness, and regret. His eyes twitched as he told me his story. He looked up and down, right and left. But he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
A Devotion to Something Greater: A Message from Interim Executive Director Chase Haller
When I was in middle school, I went to the library as often as I could. I read about the Roman legion and the Macedonian phalanx, Alexander the Great and his encounter with the war elephants of King Porus, the American Civil War and great tacticians like Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. The librarian would sometimes set aside the latest books she had about war and history, knowing that I would walk through her doors again soon, looking for a new text to devour.
Serving Those Who Served Us
Since 2013, the Legal Clinic has partnered with Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) to meet the legal needs of homeless veterans in Indiana. Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, HVAF has come a long way from their first housing project when they established a residence for five homeless veterans. In 2017 alone, they served more than 1300. Bryan Dysert, Director of Programs and Services at HVAF, says, “[We have the] capacity to house 158 veterans on any given night. And while they’re in that program, they’re receiving case management services, employment services, legal services—really anything that they need to get back to self-sufficiency.”
A New Drive
Although Cameron served faithfully in the U.S. Army for many years and was honorably discharged in the late 1980s, he had encountered many difficulties since that time. As a result, he became addicted to drugs. This addiction affected every aspect of his life, snowballing until he was homeless, without a job, and carrying a lifetime suspension on his driving privileges.
So long, September!
This September was a flurry of preparations for our Justice for All gala on Thursday, Oct. 6th featuring guest speaker Bob Goff, best-selling author of Love Does. To everyone already planning on attending, we can't wait to see you! And if you haven't purchased your ticket yet, there's still a little bit of time left! We also released Episode 3, Part 2 of our podcast Courting Justice this month, in which we learn more about the community found by refugees who are resettled in Indianapolis. And we met Stephen, a veteran who suffered from PTSD and came to the Clinic seeking assistance with his mortgage.
Getting Hope: A Veteran's Story
After completing the initial steps of the Clinic’s intake process, Stephen was assigned to Housing Counselor Helene Rodriguez, who was determined to help him. “It just made me realize that sometimes it’s not [a client’s] fault that they fall behind on their mortgage,” she says. “It’s their medical condition, or traumatic events.”
A Veteran's Fight
Last year, veteran John Cooper* chose to visit our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) when he realized he needed help sorting out his tax debt with the IRS. After sustaining an injury to his leg years earlier, John was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. Since that time, thanks in part to his disability, John struggled to find steady work.
Serving the Veterans Who Have Served Us
Debra says, “Our motto, so to speak, is we serve our veterans, they served us. But on that same note, our veterans feel so grateful for what they receive here … that they then want to give back to the community and they are very active in doing so.”