Homeless Female Vets Find A Haven


By SHERRI ACKERMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 29, 2008

Updated:

TAMPA - A half century ago, this two-story red brick building housed men returning from World War II.

This fall, 16 homeless female veterans - including some who served in Iraq - will move into the 100-year-old former boarding house as they work to become self-sufficient again.

"So there'll be soldiers here again," said Sara Romeo, executive director of Tampa Crossroads, the agency that will oversee the federal transitional housing program.

Women make up more than a quarter of the military and are becoming a growing demographic among the nation's homeless population.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are more than 194,000 homeless veterans on any given night nationwide; about 6,000 of them are women, said Peter Dougherty, the department's director of homeless veterans programs.

Traditionally, veterans programs have catered to men. As more women enlisted in the military, coed treatment facilities opened. It's only been in the past six to seven years, though, that programs began looking at women separately, Dougherty said.

Women's issues are different from men's, he said, which makes it more difficult to counsel women in a group setting. A high percentage of them have been sexually abused either before enlisting, while on active duty or after leaving the military.

The need for gender-specific programs - especially for women - has become "a high priority," he said. "They're still fairly rare."

Women To Get Housing, Counseling

Veterans Affairs is providing the bulk of funding for Tampa Crossroad's Athena Program, which will be the only one of its kind in the state, Romeo said. The name comes from the Greek Goddess of war, wisdom and art.

Homeless female veterans who were honorably discharged can enroll in the program for up to two years. They'll receive housing and board, counseling, and job assistance while they reacquaint themselves with living in a community.

"Usually we only get about six months to work with them," Romeo said.

The former state legislator estimates there are about 400 homeless veterans in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Many come home with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, Romeo said. They've lived for months, maybe years on alert for trigger bombs.

"They just can't go out and get a job and act like nothing happened," she said.

Female vets tend to have issues similar to other women involved in Tampa Crossroads programs. Some abuse alcohol or drugs. They have low self-esteem and usually have some kind of domestic violence or sexual abuse in their past, Romeo said.

The program strives to make them independent again. Sixteen women will move into the building, which was moved from 18th Street in Ybor City north to 1301 E. Columbus Drive as part of the state Department of Transportation's historic mitigation project.

The project called for relocating and renovating 35 historic houses and structures to allow for the widening of Interstate 4 that began in 2000. Since then, the DOT has identified 29 more buildings that qualify for the project, making it the department's largest historic mitigation undertaking in the nation, consultant Elaine Illes said.

Help Sought From Community

The former boarding house took the longest to move and was the most expensive to renovate.

"The department has over a million dollars in that building," Illes said.

Tampa Crossroads needs help now from the community to furnish the eight bedrooms, four bathrooms and two community rooms, along with the kitchen and two laundry rooms.

"We have 37 windows," Romeo said. "We need 37 sets of blinds."

Then there's silverware and plates for 16 people - not to mention towels, blankets and sheets. Someone suggested Romeo register for items at local department stores much like couples do for weddings.

On Aug. 2, TampaArtist .com, a nonprofit group made up of local artists, will host an art show at Romeo Gallery in Ybor City to help raise money for the program. Romeo plans a ribbon-cutting Aug. 19 featuring local dignitaries including Mayor Pam Iorio and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.

It's a project that's starting to get a lot of attention, Romeo said.

"If we have 400 homeless veterans now before the war ends, imagine how bad it's going to get."

For information about the Athena Program, call Romeo at (813) 238-5210.

Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 or sackerman@tampatrib.com

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/29 ... male-vets/