Jefferson Award Winner Kendar Bryn Stewardson 2006

There are people all over the net claiming to be "fighting for" veterans but end up attacking them instead. I have a feeling who the "certain person" is in this email I received. I've seen her work too many times but there are a lot more just like her, so I cannot be sure. If you come up against anyone claiming to be dedicated to veterans, if they are not dedicated to all veterans, then know their real agenda is not doing right for veterans, but something sinister instead.

Good morning.

Last year, a certain "someone" who will remain nameless but regularly
engages in character assassination, published highly disparaging and
derogatory remarks about a homeless veteran who was doing what she could to
contribute in her community. As homelessness is not something that most
people seek out, it seemed rather crude and dispicable that one female
"veteran" who speak badly about another female veteran seeking to better
herself, despite her misfortunes.

Below is another article about a homeless transgender veteran - strange but
nevertheless a reality in our world. This person now "volunteers" 50 hours
a week!

This person volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a helicopter door gunner.
This person now seems to be making a significant effort, even in a society
that looks down upon them. This person also spoke highly of the VA and
its' support of her. I thought you might find it interesting. Nothing to
react to.....but it demonstrates that the VA doesn't ignore anyone, even a
transgender vet.

I have great admiration for the people working for the VA. I know how hard they work and the fact they could be making a lot more money in the private sector. My issues are always with the administration itself and the Congress. They make the rules, allocate the funds and are supposed to be providing the care our veterans not only need, but deserve and have earned. No matter how hard I work to provide education to veterans so that they understand what PTSD is, without the people at the VA, it would do no good because there would be no one there to help them. I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist or a social worker. There is very little I can do for them after I get them to understand PTSD is a wound. That said, it is why I do agree with the statement about the VA above.

JEFFERSON AWARD / Presented to Kendra Bryn Stewardson / Once homeless, today she assists others
After being "rescued" by Project Homeless Connect, Kendra Bryn Stewardson became a full-time advocate for the homeless. Chronicle photo by Katy Raddatz

Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, December 10, 2006
Kendra Bryn Stewardson survived the horrors of Vietnam, worked for 25 years as a master carpenter and cared for her ailing mother, only to end up homeless on the streets of San Francisco for a year.

Stewardson, a transgender woman, will always remember Dec. 6, 2004, the day she was "rescued" by volunteers from Project Homeless Connect while sitting in a puddle of water on Turk Street. Stewardson was placed in transitional housing the same day.

Two weeks later, Stewardson began to volunteer for Project Homeless Connect, a project that serves the homeless and helps them re-enter society. She was trained by Judith Klain, director of Project Homeless Connect and of Community Programs at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

"As part of the PHC leadership team, Kendra lends a unique perspective to the planning, program and policy decision-making," Klain said. "She is the unyielding voice for homeless folks, an advocate with incredibly innovative ideas about how to most appropriately deliver services. She is always client-focused. Resisting bureaucratic tendencies, she continues to bring fresh ideas to this project; always challenging us to do our most. Plus, she has a wicked sense of humor that keeps us all laughing in the midst of the chaos and hard work."

Stewardson, 56, believes that the dedicated team of volunteers is what makes Project Homeless Connect work so well.

"I was housed on the first day, the Veterans Administration went to bat for me and the doctor said I'd live. I was treated with dignity and respect. I was actually shown that I'd be welcomed back into society. For an old broad like me, who was sitting in a puddle of water two hours before, it was a shock. I decided that I wanted to get involved."

Project Homeless Connect is an initiative started by Mayor Gavin Newsom in collaboration with government agencies, the private sector, community nonprofit organizations and individuals. It is a bimonthly event held at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where volunteers provide community outreach that serves more than 1,500 homeless clients, assisting with housing, employment, medical care, legal services, food, substance abuse and mental health counseling.

Stewardson, who subsists on a disabled veterans' pension, logs an estimated 50 volunteer hours with Project Homeless Connect a week. Stewardson also works with the Shelter Monitoring Committee in San Francisco, which is not associated with Project Homeless Connect. It was created by the Board of Supervisors in December 2004. The committee is composed of 13 homeless, formerly homeless and homeless advocates. Stewardson was one of three mayoral appointees. Stewardson also runs the Public Speaking Bureau for Project Homeless Connect and has made presentations at corporations and schools and universities.

click above for the rest