Help homeless vets
This Veterans Day, as Americans celebrate the service of those men and women who have worn our country’s cloth, we may finally hear some good news regarding the plight of our veterans living on the streets of Philadelphia.
We will all soon hear officials and agencies at the federal, state and local levels tell us that because of the tremendous effort to get our veterans off the streets and into housing while also providing them with the wrap-around services necessary to assure this transition has been successful, that veterans homelessness, as we know it, now is ended.
These efforts that have so successfully lowered the number of veterans living on the street should be loudly applauded and acknowledged. We should all be thankful for these efforts, which have been truly remarkable. But, as we often find in ambitious undertakings such as this, there is much more to this story that we all need to be aware of.
When you ask officials how they truly know they have found and transitioned all veterans living on the street, these officials admit they really don’t know if they have found all of them. The truer statement is that they have transitioned and placed into housing only those veterans they were able to find and identify. The truth is no one really knows how many veterans still remain homeless.
I admit I don’t.
There are several reasons why it is difficult to get veterans off the street. Some simply don’t self-identify while some, at least for a time, choose to remain on the streets. These unknown numbers are the ones we should be concerned about. They are the ones that tell the true story of veterans homelessness.
Because we don’t really know how many veterans still live on the street, there can be no reduction of either effort or resources until we can more accurately confirm that all our veterans are home, no matter how long it takes. It needs to be understood that despite dramatic efforts to reduce these numbers, veterans homelessness has not ended and may not end for some time.
On this Veterans Day, I would ask that we all remember my less fortunate brothers and sisters who still must use a doorway for a bed or a dark alley for a bathroom. All veterans understand there can be no real celebration or joy until all of our veterans are off the street and safely home. We must not forget these veterans.
Joe Eastman
United States Navy (Ret.)
She’s still for Melissa
Congratulations to Mayor-elect Jim Kenney.
I am a wife, mom and neighbor. I’m still for Melissa Bailey.
I took the time to vote on Nov. 3 after spending the start of my day visiting a parochial school outside of the city to send my son and praying to have enough energy to spend two hours at one Northeast polling place to show my support for another wife, mom and neighbor.
Why? Not because we share a gender, traditional marriage or a minority Republican vote, but because she had the audacity to humbly offer ideas filled with common sense, courtesy for all and compassion for those hurt the most for the greater good — no strings attached.
My hope is your 20-plus years in Philadelphia politics gives you an edge, that you consider some of the ideas put forth by your opponent and produce results together with City Council we can all live with.
Lisa Domenic
Bustleton
Many callers to my office have expressed an interest in sending holiday care packages to men and women from our area who are serving in the military.
The following man is from our area. Please feel free to send him holiday care packages which will be shared with his fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Please send non-perishable items only.
Thank you for your patriotism and support of the men and women who are protecting our nation.
David Fogel
Unit 61118
Unit 55777
APO AE 09853–1118
Rep. Thomas P. Murt
State Representative, 152nd District
