A Veteran Christmas Story

There I was, in tears. Shaking. Rocking back and forth in a chair, holding my cat, Grace. Not knowing what to do next, what was going to happen to me and Grace. I was crying, saying out loud again and again, “God help me.”

It was Friday, December 23, 2022. Instead of celebrating the birth of Jesus, I was afraid, afraid that I would not have a place to sleep on Christmas Day. I was about to become homeless. And I didn’t know what to do.

My Life Starts to Unravel

I lived the last 19 years in Newton, NJ, where I grew up, after I left the Army. I lived in a nice two-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood. In October 2022, I found myself a few months behind in rent. I was unemployed and my only source of income was my disability checks from the VA. I got myself a Section 8 voucher, but my landlord was converting the building into commercial space. I had to find another place for Grace and me.

I left the apartment in October and stayed at a hotel in Mt. Olive. A local organization, paid the hotel bill. However, they stopped paying the hotel bill on December 22nd. They had a grant from the VA to support veterans like me, but it was year-end and they ran out of money.

I had put together a “blue book” of organizations that support veterans. I called the office of a local politician. Someone from the politician’s office called me back and suggested I contact the state Office of Temporary Assistance.

I called Catholic Charities that morning. Later, I got a return call from David Pearson at Catholic Charities. He told me he was going to reach out to other local veteran support groups to get me some help. At 5 pm, I got a call from Gene Elwood of Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey (WHVNJ). Gene told me that WHVNJ would pay for my hotel stay and give me a shopping card for a local ShopRite while they worked on getting me a more permanent place to stay. The following Monday, Gene called again. WHVNJ would pay for a one-week stay at a hotel and send me that ShopRite card.

WHVNJ then paid for three weeks at the hotel. During that time, Tom Welsh of True North, another veteran’s support group in Morris County, contacted me. Tom arranged for me to rent an apartment in Morris County. I moved into my new apartment on January 27th. Not only that, but Tom and Gene let the local Elks Club know of my move. The Elks were kind enough to deliver furniture for my new apartment. And Catholic Charities got me a new bed and paid the security deposit on the apartment.

Today, thanks to the generosity and caring of WHVNJ, Catholic Charities, the Elks and True North, Grace and I are happily settled in my apartment.

Now I'm a Volunteer!

Now that my housing situation has stabilized, I have the time to do some volunteer work myself! I’m on a “fire team” at WHVNJ. Like Gene helped me out last Christmas in a matter of days, WHVNJ has a “fire team” that is ready to cut through the red tape quickly and efficiently to get veterans help from government and private support groups. My blue book I mentioned earlier is a great resource for WHVNJ!

I’m happy I can give back to the people who helped me when I needed it most!