Today is Veterans Day and the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) salutes the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country’s freedom. Last month, we advanced our efforts to serve Greater Detroit’s homeless and disadvantaged veterans population by celebrating the grand opening of a $1.4 million transitional housing center for homeless veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The facility can house sixty veterans in beautifully-furnished, one-bedroom apartment units. In addition to giving the veterans a place to live, we are providing them with access to many other services that will help with their physical, mental and spiritual growth and recovery. Our goal is to help the veterans re-integrate successfully into the community after returning from the war-torn nations.
It is a disgrace for veterans to risk their lives for our nation’s freedom and then come home and have no place to live and no access to healthcare and mental health services. It is truly a heartbreaking situation. The armed forces will not let mentally and physically unfit people join their ranks, so we should be quick to help returning veterans fit into society after their lives have been forever changed by the stress and aggression of war.
DRMM established the Veterans Independence Program many years ago in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide housing, support services and job skills to the homeless men and women who served in the armed forces. Our new transitional housing program builds upon that commitment to our national heroes. The newly-renovated facility was made possible through the generous support of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Ford Motor Company Fund, and numerous private donors.
We want our supporters to know that the Detroit Rescue Mission will always preserve the dignity and respect of all people who come to us for assistance. We know that bad things happen for various reasons — a tough economy, unemployment or underemployment, chronic addictions, mental illness, medical issues, or psychological trauma brought on by fighting in a war. We wholeheartedly believe that every person deserves another chance and another chance and another chance, if necessary. Plus, everyone has a right to receive quality support services. Especially the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for our country.