While taking the bus to school, I sat next to an old man wearing a dirty old green sweater. After some small talk the man reveals to me that he served in Vietnam and that his name is Pete. Pete then asks me if I know of any local homeless shelters since he is once again homeless. I was shocked, I replied to Pete with honesty and said to him that I did not know. I then inquired about his situation since I thought that surely there was some program from the VA. He then went on to say that he had no Internet access and that he was "sick" with the bureaucracy. At the end of the bus ride Pete got off the bus and said he would stay with a friend for some time. I never saw Pete again. This odd interaction with a stranger forced me to think of homelessness, veterans, and after a brief google search on local help for veterans, I found the Fontana Veterans Resource Center which is run by Veterans Partnering with communities. This local non-profit organization located in the city of Fontana, CA. Assists our brave men and women and their families transition into civilian life. Their mission is the elimination of homelessness and unemployment as it is stated in their website. An individual can find the following services offered at their current location.- Access to Internet and assistance filling out various forms including:
- 10-10EZ (VA Health Care), SF 1080 to request DD 214(Military Records), VBA-21-526(compensation)
- Counseling:
- Readjustment, PTSD, Loss of Family Member
- Women Veteran Unity group
- Veteran and Family Pranic Healing
- Income Tax Filing Help
These are Just some of the many programs that are offered at the Fontana Vet Resource Center ran by Veterans Partnering with Communities. I strongly encourage everyone to volunteer some of their valuable time to this organization because vets like Pete deserve more for their service.
