Troubled veterans find heavenly haven at Shepherd's Heart

Troubled veterans find heavenly haven at Shepherd's Heart
By Mike Wereschagin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, December 26, 2007


The softly-lit, green-hued hallway is quiet and warm, and the 10 men inside their rooms are safe for the moment.

Only memory can get to them here.

The Rev. Michael Wurschmidt walks slowly past the closed doors, a sentry in cleric's clothing.

"I never saw combat, but I know what it can do to someone," said Wurschmidt, pastor of Shepherd's Heart Fellowship in Uptown, an episcopal parish and home for homeless veterans.

As many as 250 veterans are homeless on any given night in Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, the fifth-largest VA system in the nation. About 1,100 of the region's estimated 227,000 veterans are homeless at some point each year.

The estimates are based on visits to homeless shelters by Veterans Administration representatives.

"Following Vietnam, it took 10 years for us to realize this was a problem," said Wurschmidt, who works as a VA chaplain. "It's not going to take that long this time."

The Shepherd's Heart Veterans Home can house as many as 10 veterans. In its first six months, it has helped 18 veterans "graduate" to a more stable life, Wurschmidt said.
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