Homeless Iraq War vet finds a place in St. Louis

With some help, homeless Iraq War vet finds a place in St. Louis
St. Louis Today
By Jesse Bogan
4 hours ago

ST. LOUIS • Disappointed so many times by bureaucratic red tape, a ragtag group of 50 homeless veterans were suspicious from the start of an effort Wednesday to place them all into furnished apartments.

Some were used to waiting years for assistance that never came, not mere hours for actual delivery. Still, they gathered downtown at 9 a.m. at the foot of Soldiers Memorial for the chance.

In a news conference, Mayor Francis Slay told the crowd that it was a “shame” that military service is often taken for granted.

“Today, it’s about helping those men and women who helped us,” Slay said, garnering cheers.

If they qualified for the pilot program, the veterans could get free rent, utility assistance and wrap-around services for other needs. The veterans soon snapped in line for hours of processing.

Nearly all were men and between the ages of 50 and 65. Esa Murray, 25, sporting thick glasses, light blue shorts and a buzz cut, represented the next generation of homeless veterans.

The former Army private did base security near Tikrit, Iraq, in 2009. He was sent home early from the deployment because of mental disorders. Not long after, he was discharged and living in a tent in southern Indiana with his new wife.

“I joked with her that we went camping on our honeymoon,” said Murray, inching his way through the line. “She never thought that was funny.”

He said he and his wife have children but are now separated.

In mid-June, after an outburst, he said, he was taken by ambulance from Indiana to Jefferson Barracks because it was the closest Veterans Affairs inpatient psychiatric ward that had an open bed. Medications stabilized him. After treatment, he said, the VA released him with contact information for several area nonprofits.

“They pretty much said, ‘Good luck,’ ” Murray said. “And you know what, I’ve had good luck. This city has been wonderful to me.”

Antoinette Triplett, who is leaving her post as head of the city’s Homeless Services Division in August for a job in Tampa, Fla., said she came up with the concept of Wednesday’s program a few years ago. She said it was designed for about 50 people. If somebody missed the event Wednesday, and thinks they qualify, they can contact her office to be considered.

Triplett, an Air Force veteran, described the housing effort as a pilot program.

“We will share the challenges and successes with other cities around the country,” she said.
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