War veterans have long since been recognized as our heroes. Despite this, when they come back there are many issues that they must take care of. For starters, most of them suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. This makes it very difficult for them to hold a job.
Most of the jobs out there have a certain element of stress in them. People who have posttraumatic stress disorder can get anxiety attacks out of the blue. Besides counseling, they see everyday things like paying bills or having enough money for groceries as something very difficult to achieve. Most jobs will not be very considerate of them. Most managers and supervisors are not that patient.
The other problem they have is housing. Because so much of their money must go to pay medical bills they are not left with very much. Therefore, we see them in fundraisers, out in the street asking for work or trying to make something they can sell.
It’s not like we have run out of space. There are many spaces like abandoned buildings or pieces of land where housing units can be built. The problem is that no one wants to invest in that venture. Most entrepreneurs are looking for the easiest and fastest way to make a profit. Therefore, war veterans are not at the top of their lists of priorities. Philadelphia has decided to make things different.
There are many government organizations as well as nonprofit organizations that are willing to give homeless war veterans a chance. They agreed to use an abandoned school for this. The school has been abandoned for more than 40 years. If you enter it you will see walls full of graffiti and trash on the floor. It has been invaded by junkies and vandals. You can still find books and other teacher materials lying all around.
This project will take about $14.5 million to restore. So, it will not be a cheap project. The plan is to turn it into 37 units of affordable housing. 12 of these units would be destined for homeless veterans. Not only will this unit provide a place to live, but it will also have other programs such as healthcare, youth programs, and employment assistance. They plan to have it finished by the summer of 2017 with the first people moving in by the end of the year. Hopefully, other great cities can catch on the trend and turn old buildings into new hope for our beloved veterans.
