They are proud Veterans who knew the jungles of Cambodia and the deserts of Afghanistan, who worked as electricians on naval ships, translated Russian in the Cold War, and monitored the weather in Korea. But they dealt with haunting memories of war, drugs and alcohol, depression, loss of jobs and families, and eventually fell into homelessness. They found a healing community, and are now standing proud, at home.
The video, Vets Finding a Home, gives a face and a voice to Philadelphia veterans who have experienced homelessness. This project, sponsored by Project HOME as part of its 25th anniversary commemoration in 2014, is a collaboration between award-winning photographer Harvey Finkle and Mark Lyons of the Philadelphia Storytelling Project.
According to the U.S. government, one of eight homeless people is a Veteran, almost twice the average of our general population. Over 62,000 Vets are homeless on any given night. By giving homeless Vets a voice and listening to their stories, we can learn from them and gain some insights about why they became homeless, how they heal, and our responsibility to support them as they rebuild their lives.
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