Veteran works to get homeless off streets because he was one of them

Former homeless veteran now helps others who struggle with the same issues he did
WKOW ABC News
By Gordon Severson
Posted: Jul 14, 2014

MADISON (WKOW)-- After years of conflict, the situations in the Middle East are starting to wind down as thousands of service men and women are sent back home. Veteran support specialists say an increasing number of vets returning home find themselves homeless and unemployed.

"They're coming back to not having a job and they're hitting homelessness much quicker than ever before," Veteran Affairs Homeless Program Coordinator Marybeth Urbin says. "We're seeing current vets and also vets from the Vietnam era. Both need a lot of help."

The problems veterans face are difficult for many to understand. Often times these vets are neglected by family members and friends who can't relate to the stresses and fears of military service. That's where workers like Matt Heldman come in.

"I was homeless for six years and unemployed for ten," Heldman explains. "Now I'm helping vets that have been homeless and I understand them. I get them."

Heldman has experienced these struggles firsthand. He served as an Air Force medic for four years. His unit was trained to provide medical aid to soldiers on the front lines. The training was brutal, as personnel simulated real life scenarios in order to prep Heldman and his unit for battle.

Once his service was complete Heldman returned home to his family, but just as he was starting to get used to civilian life, he was put on standby for Desert Storm.

"It was so nerve-wracking. I literally shook the whole week I was waiting to be sent out. At the last minute they decided they didn't need another unit so we stayed home," Heldman says.

For years, Heldman suppressed his emotions and fears until it blew up inside him, costing him his house, his family, his entire way of life.

"I have medication. I have tools that I've learned to help cope with all of that, but I still struggle with it. It's still an ongoing issue."
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