Although there has been an eight-percent reduction in the homeless veteran population between January 2012 and January 2013, there is still a long way to go to eliminate the problem.
According to a 2013 Housing and Urban Development study, on any given night in January of that year, there were an estimated 58,000 homeless veterans on the streets, a 24 percent decline since 2010. With this in mind, the Natick Soldier Systems Center community banded together to do their part during the spring veteran clothing drive.
The event organizer, Sarah Ross, a Human Research Volunteer coordinator with the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, has committed herself to this cause. As with other clothing drives, Ross made sure she had everything in place, and bins were ready to be filled when the clothing drive began on April 27. There was only one issue.
Four days before the clothing drive was slated to begin, Ross was notified that she was to go on temporary duty during the week of the clothing drive.
"Even though this is not my job, this is a priority," said Ross.
Ross said that as much as the clothing drive is near her heart, she didn't have much time to ponder about the progress of the drive because she was in the field recruiting Soldiers to become a part of the HRV program. Plus, she had enlisted the help of one of the HRVs, Pvt. 2 Topher Cheney, for the drive.
"I just happened to be coming into the (Doriot Climatic) Chambers to sign in one day, and she was talking about it and asked me if I could do anything to help her out," said Cheney.
Cheney said whenever there's an opportunity for him to help, he's all in.
"Actually, I used to be homeless a couple of years ago," said Cheney, "so stuff like that really hits home for me."
Cheney said when he was younger, he found himself going down a bad a road and eventually was kicked out of his house at age 18. Cheney lived with friends for a time, but he soon found himself on the streets.
"I was sleeping under bridges and eating out of dumpsters, and one day it finally clicked like, 'Man, this is stupid,' and then I started working again and worked my way out of poverty," Cheney said.
Cheney also said part of his motivation to get off the streets was thinking about his father, a former Marine drill instructor.
"I remember my Dad and just how ashamed he would have been of me," said Cheney.
Cheney's father passed away when he was 18, a few months before getting kicked out of his house, and he said that was part of his spiral out of control, which ultimately landed him on the streets.
"He and I were the exact same person, so we butted heads about everything," said Cheney. "And we didn't speak to each other for almost a year before he died."
Cheney said his father's death hit him hard.
"That's when everything got worse and I just lost it," said Cheney.
While on the streets, Cheney said he would frequent Interfaith-Good Samaritan, an establishment that helps men, women, children and families during emergency situations. Being at Interfaith-Good Samaritan guaranteed that Cheney would know where his next meal was coming from.
"They helped me out a lot," said Cheney. "When I'm back home, I grab food and I'll donate to them."
In Cheney's eyes, this was a way for him to pay it forward.
By working two jobs, Cheney was able to get off the streets, find an apartment, and begin moving on with his life. After deciding to enlist in the Army as an aircraft electrician, Cheney has remained on the right road to becoming a leader.
"My entire life was military discipline over and over, and how to be a leader," said Cheney. "After it finally clicked that I needed to get it together, the leader started coming out."
Ross said she's happy that Cheney stepped up to the plate when he was needed.
"That's why the Soldiers are so great in helping, because I think it's wonderful that they can see that as a Soldier, they are making a difference for Soldiers before them," said Ross, "and the reason they can serve in the capacity that they do is because of Soldiers who served before them."
The spring clothing drive brought in more than 1,500 pounds of clothing and personal hygiene products that will assist homeless veterans and their families. The next clothing drive will be in November.
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