Retsil Program Turning Homelessness to Hope

Retsil Program Turning Homelessness to Hope
By Chris Henry (Contact)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

RETSIL

Evins Wilkerson, a Vietnam veteran, had a good job as mental health counselor in Oregon when he went into the Seattle Veterans Affairs Hospital for a medical procedure.

Wilkerson, 57, expected to be out of commission about two weeks, but two days before his surgery, he had a heart attack. Two weeks later, he had a stroke.

Unable to work and out of funds, he found himself homeless.

Paul Elliott, 47, is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. Like Wilkerson, he had always been steadily employed, most recently on a fishing boat in Alaska.

"Through a chain of events, I got myself into trouble," said Elliott. "The scenario was bad choices of mine pushed me into homelessness."

On Tuesday, they and others with similar stories talked about the new Veterans Transitional Housing Program at the Washington State Veterans Home in Retsil, and how it gave them a second chance at life.

"I'm so blessed to be here, this place is a life saver," said Joseph Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran, was homeless as recently as January and has been diagnosed with cancer.

The program, which opened in November at the remodeled Building 9, provides a safe haven for veterans down on their luck and without a roof over their heads. But unlike a typical homeless shelter, the program teaches residents skills they need to regain independence to the best of their ability.

"These are all people who have fallen on hard times. They're not here for a hand out. They're here for a hand up," John Lee, Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, said at the facility Tuesday.

Also present was Mike Gregoire, husband of Gov. Chris Gregoire, himself a Vietnam vet and a veterans advocate.

"It's a day to celebrate for sure," Gregoire said.

The program currently serves 20 veterans, 19 men and one woman, at a facility that will ultimately serve 75. Since opening, three residents have regained independence and moved out.

Most of the residents, like Wilkerson and Jackson, are Vietnam-era vets age 50 to 65, said program manager Ray Switzer. The youngest is a 21-year-old Iraq War veteran.

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