Homeless vets get a hand

Homeless vets get a hand

VOA increases beds from 18 to 40 with 4,600-square-foot expansion
Ryan Loew • rloew@lsj.com • December 11, 2008 • From Lansing State Journal


Without the Veterans Housing Program, Charles Montgomery figures he would have to move in with family in Illinois or Texas, sacrificing his desire to get back on his feet on his own.

The 42-year-old Army veteran moved to the Lansing area about a year ago after a death in the family, and ended up staying for work. He soon lost his job, however, and with little to no income, he also lost his apartment.

Unable to immediately find a new job, Montgomery reached out for help, and he found it at Volunteers of America Michigan, which runs the veterans program. He said the faith-based nonprofit is helping him find funding to go back to college to study computer science. The group also provides him with an affordable and newly renovated place to stay.

Montgomery soon will be one of 22 veterans who will get to live in a renovated section of the VOA's campus at 430 N. Larch St., which was on display for dozens of community members at a ceremony Wednesday.
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