U.S. Army veteran Thomas Turner started to hear voices in his head four years ago, and ever since then he's struggled with homelessness.
"It put me in the hospital, and I lost everything and had to start over," said Turner, who noted mental illness runs in his family. "When you start hearing voices and they start answering you, but there's nobody there, it really can change your life."
The 54-year-old slept in front of Pep Boys at one point, but living on the streets was exhausting. He was tired of being roused by police, getting weapons pulled on him, grappling with drugs, getting his car towed and facing a life that had spiraled out of control.
Now staying in transitional housing run by HomeFirst, an agency that provides homeless services in Santa Clara County, Turner said he's received treatment for his illness, landed a job and is getting back on his feet.
But many others still need help. There are more than 700 homeless veterans in Santa Clara County, 63 percent of them unsheltered, county data show. So the agency recently started working with local churches to find housing for homeless veterans as part of a countywide initiative called "Housing One Hero."
The effort calls on more than 250 local faith-based organizations to find housing for one homeless veteran by identifying church members who might have a room, housing them on church grounds or convincing a landlord to accept a federal housing voucher. Launched in March, it's led by county Board of Supervisors President Dave Cortese, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and the nonprofit Destination: Home.
Comments (0)