Veterans will still be homeless tomorrow

Today people go to shelters and their church to take care of the homeless. Among the people in need are veterans. Here's two stories. Today people care, want to share what they have, spend time with them, but tomorrow they will still be homeless but few will help.

Woman Who Accidentally Started Downtown Fire Is Homeless Veteran
By ABC-7 Reporter Maria Garcia
POSTED: 10:58 am MST November 24, 2010

John Martin, the Director of the Salvation Army, said this woman's situation is just an example of the homeless crisis in El Paso.

"We have 1,400 homeless people in El Paso, and those are not the individuals that you think about, the ones that are in the street corner asking for a dollar or two. These are families. Just two days ago, as an example we had a family of 5 that were living in their car at the parking lot at a Wal-Mart".

EL PASO, Texas -- The homeless woman living in her van inside the Cortez building garage, who investigators say started a fire Monday night is a military veteran.

A Fire Department Spokesman identified her as 57-year old Queen Astro Martin. John Concha said Martin showed investigators her military ID.

Concha said Martin had paid the monthly fee to park her van inside the building garage and was living there. She was trying to fix a propane heater, when the propane leaked out, and in seconds, engulfed her van and two other cars in flames.

She managed to crawl out of the car, but suffered second degree burns on her wrists and flash burns on her face.

"Just evacuating is very stressful when you're having a fire so for her to be able to evacuate during that situation is very amazing...she's very lucky", said Concha.

Martin was referred to the Red Cross, who then took her to the Salvation Army for shelter. She arrived there at about 3am, said, John Martin, director of the Salvation Army branch in El Paso.
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Woman Who Accidentally Started Downtown Fire

AT THANKSGIVING, HOMELESS VETERANS, YOUTH ARE AMONG MILLIONS OF HOMELESS WHO STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY, WEEK OF DECEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1, 2010
The Wilmington Journal
Originally posted 11/24/2010

WASHINGTON (TEWIRE) - Like many men and women who have served their country proudly before coming home, Samuel Hinton wondered where the warm reception was when he arrived back into the United States after serving in Vietnam.

There was no warm and fuzzy feeling or grand reception after his nine-and-a-half years as an infantry man and finance specialist. Now, decades later, as yet another Thanksgiving week is here, life hasn't grown much warmer.

Hinton and his wife are among the thousands of homeless people who wander the streets by day and sleep in doorways and shelters by night - when shelters are open and available. On Thanksgiving Day, the couple who live in Silver Spring, Md., will no doubt be offered plenty to eat from generous donations of caring people. But, like others, the next day, they are back on the streets again, determined to maintain dignity while leaning on fellow human beings.
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AT THANKSGIVING, HOMELESS VETERANS