Veterans Program providing housing in Brentwood
The living room of the Project Journey for Men house in Brentwood.
Kevin Farrar was homeless after returning from tours in Iraq and Kuwait. The Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania helped him get back on his feet, and he’s currently enrolled in classes at the Community College of Allegheny County.
Kevin Farrar spent six years in the U.S. Army, which included tours of Kuwait and Iraq, but when he was discharged, the 39-year-old former soldier was homeless.
Farrar’s family had moved out of the area. He was suffering from thyroid disease, bad knees and had to have corrective surgery on his feet. Complicating matters for Farrar was the fact he also had developed narcolepsy.
Farrar, who also was divorced and had custody of his three sons, said he was at the end of his rope and did not know where to turn. That was when his cousin, also a veteran, told him about Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania Inc., a South Side-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide essential housing, employment and support services to veterans.
“I went down to talk with them,” Farrar said. “I wanted to know about my disability and options.”
VLP was able to set Farrar and his family up in a home in the Monroeville area and to help him with essentials, such as food and clothing.
Overall, Pennsylvania has the fourth-highest concentration of veterans in the U.S., while Allegheny County holds the highest population of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. There are 230,000 veterans in the region, 23,000 of whom live below the poverty line, according to VLP. Also, 2,300 veterans are at risk of becoming homeless, the agency said.
“I am doing great,” said Farrar, who is now taking psychology courses at Community College of Allegheny County and hopes to one day get his doctorate.
VLP, which serves more than 2,000 male and female veterans in Western Pennsylvania annually, recently expanded into the South Hills with a duplex in Brentwood that will be able to house two veterans’ families. Both apartments are fully furnished, thanks to donations by Levin Furniture and the PA Furniture Warehouse.
Scott Mitchell, VLP’s Project Journey for Men coordinator, said his organization is renting the Brentwood site for one year. Veterans who need a place to live and have children under the age of 18 will be able to stay at the duplex for two months, he said.
“Our job is to help vets in tough times,” said Mitchell, a Marine Corps veteran.
Besides housing, services offered by VLP include employment counseling and guidance for job referrals, as well as resume assistance, referrals and networking. VLP also helps veterans with legal aid, financial assistance and benefits applications. It also offers referrals for veterans who may need help with alcohol, drug, and other addictions, domestic violence, military sexual trauma and mental health.
If people are interested in donating to VLP, Mitchell said gift cards for groceries and gasoline for the veterans are needed. For more information, visit www.VLPWPA.org.