Veteran Struggles to Make Ends Meet
Veteran Struggles to Make Ends Meet
It was 2002, just a few short months after the 9/11 attacks. Kevin Payne was 24 years old and decided to join the Navy to help defend his country.
Now 33 years old, Kevin is a resident at a Volunteers of America Transitional Housing Program for homeless veterans. Nearly two years into his service, Kevin received word that his mother had passed away. The two had been close and Kevin struggled to cope with the loss. A few months later, Kevin left the service and headed back home to be with his father. But without his mother, the relationship with his father was strained and he soon had to move out on his own.
Kevin never had trouble finding employment. The disciplined high school runner worked various minimum wage jobs in food service and retail before he joined the Navy and after his return home. But he always struggled to make ends meet. Each time he could no longer make his rent, Kevin was taken in by family and friends – his aunt, sister, even a friend in Florida. And each time, Kevin would be able to save a little bit of money and get back into an apartment of his own. The unfortunate reality is, “Minimum wage jobs don’t let you save,” says Kevin.
So when his apartment was robbed, it was the final step in his descent into homelessness. Without any savings, Kevin could not rebuild his home and eventually could not make his rent. Family and friends could no longer accommodate him, so Kevin spent a few weeks in hotels before he finally made his way to the Volunteers of America Transitional Housing Program for homeless veterans.
Although it may be a slow road back to the life he was used to, Kevin is focusing on the budgeting and financial education opportunities available through the homeless veterans program. And the residential program will allow him to build up his savings account so he has a little larger safety net for any unexpected setbacks in the future.
Read
this article in
The Columbus Dispatch about the fight against veteran homelessness in Ohio.