Veterans assisted by priest's project

Four years ago, Rev. Peter Young, pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Bolton Landing, walked into the Veteran Administration's Healthcare for Homeless Veterans office in Albany, looking for a way to assist homeless vets.

Julie Laurenzi, the coordinator of the federal program, remembers the encounter as "a lucky day for us both."

As a result of their meeting, Father Young's Housing, Industries & Treatment Foundation (PYHIT) obtained a federal grant to house dozens of homeless vets at Schuyler Inn in Menands, which is operated by PYHIT. There, men and women who served their country can rest, recover from addictions and become productive citizens again.

Needs of vets

According to Frank Kindlon, director of the program at Schuyler Inn, most of the veterans served in the Vietnam War and suffer from a variety of combat-related illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder; drug, alcohol and gambling addictions; and bipolar disease. Most are unable to hold down jobs.

"The Veterans Administration has been very generous," he noted, "but it is also very specific about the goals of the program, and the treatment and care we provide."

The first requirement is that the vet must have been honorably discharged from active duty, sober, and willing to participate in the treatment and job training programs offered.

Screening

While some of the vets are referred from another treatment facility operated by the VA, some "enter from the street when they have no place else to go," Mr. Kindlon noted. "They are carefully screened to ensure that all their credentials are in order. The most important is that each veteran has been honorably discharged. They do not need to have been involved in overseas duty or any war."

The veterans are in residence for a minimum of a year or a maximum of two, depending on the individual's particular needs.

This year, the Albany program qualified for an additional grant that will expand services. Two social workers and a job coach were added to the staff to work directly with each veteran. In addition, a van was provided to transport vets for doctor and hospital appointments.

Rare site

"The Schuyler Inn is one of only 14 sites across the nation that receive these benefits," Ms. Laurenzi noted. The new grant provides "an opportunity for mentally ill vets to get some much-needed clinical treatment for their disabilities, treatment that includes intensive care management, medical monitoring and extended social activities -- services that they did not have before.

"The goal is to provide the opportunity for these veterans who have medical conditions to become stabilized and in control of their lives once again."

Mr. Kindlon added: "There are 275,000 homeless veterans in this country on any given night. These are men and women who have, at sometime in their lives, given service to our country. This program is a wonderful opportunity to give them the services they need and deserve."

(2/3/05)