MACV, United Way Collaborate To Assist Homeless Vets In Rural Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We at WCCO are once again teaming up with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) to help veterans find a Home for the Holidays.
WCCO's Reg Chapman turned his focus to veterans who who call rural Minnesota home. These veterans have a unique set of circumstances when it comes to getting the resources they need to get back on their feet. Distance and lack of shelters is what keeps many of these rural veterans from accessing life saving resources.
In Hibbing, up in the Iron Range, one organization partnered with community to provide housing for veterans.
It was after one of the Minnesota National Guard's longest deployments in 2005 that this part of rural Minnesota saw it's military heroes return, needing help to adjust to life back on the Iron Range.
"I do see a lot of young veterans walking around here," veteran Tim Callendar said.
Callendar was a cavalry scout in the National Guard, and he says veterans from rural Minnesota have a reputation for being tough and able to take care of themselves.
"They have a thing for making it look like things ain't bad, making it look like things are OK when they are really not," he said.
Locals noticed an uptick in the number of veterans resorting to living outside, instead of asking for assistance.
"People from northern Minnesota, they are survivalists, especially our veterans. They stay where ever than can. People are staying in campers that are inadequately heated for weather like this, and they will tough it out trying to make it work. They'll still tent out, there are still people who are camping that aren't ready to deal with society again," MACV's program and outreach manager Paul Pederson said.
According to Pederson, community partners like United Way worked with the community to help rural veterans.
"We have some veterans who are living over an hour from the nearest grocery store, so we found it would be best if we could look at how we could make a difference," United Way's Erin Shay said.
Shay is the community impact and engagement director at the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota. She put together a committee of community members, including veterans, and the initiative United for Veterans was born.
"We were receiving referrals putting veterans up in hotels in the interim while MACV was working with them, and so through the conversation with MACV we starting talking about what if we had a house up here that we could put veterans in and we didn't have to transport them to the Duluth or Twin Cities area?," Shay said. "And they could stay here where they wanted to stay and you could case manage them in that home."
It took six months to find a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home in Hibbing. The United Way used money for its Rampage the Ridge, an extreme 5K obstacle mud run, along with private donations to fund the project.
Callender said he was one of the lucky ones.
"They brought me into the house in the Hibbing, Minnesota area and gave me a nice warm bed to sleep in. They helped me with clothes, they gave me food," Callendar said. "It really touched me really close that there were that many people willing to help, that many people that were caring and willing to help me get back on my feet and back down the road."
The months Callender spent in MACV transitional housing prepared him for the place he now permanently calls home.
The United Way of Northeastern Minnesota and United for Veterans also manage a crisis fund for veterans experiencing hardship. Since the program started, more than $43,000 has been distributed to veterans.
