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Tampa Air Force Veteran Benefits From Program For Homeless

Tribune photo by JIM REED

Lillian Flores lived briefly with her son and then in a room at a neighbor’s house before receiving aid to get her own place.

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 3, 2008

TAMPA - After a lifetime of service to her country and her family, Lillian Flores found herself without a home to call her own.

The 50-year-old Air Force veteran had lost her mother and moved in with her son in Tampa. Then she ended up in a room at a neighbor's house nearby.

Finally, in 2007, she was able to take advantage of a federal program designed to help military veterans who are homeless or dealing with issues beyond their control.

The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program was created in 1992 as a joint effort between the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Homeless veterans with substance abuse or mental health issues could receive a Section 8 housing voucher, which helped offset the cost of rent and utilities.

The Tampa Housing Authority has worked with the program for several years, and houses about 50 homeless veterans, said Margaret Jones, director of assisted housing.

"It's very important, very vital to the Hillsborough County community," Jones said. "The homeless population is forever increasing."

To meet that need, the supportive housing program is increasing the number of vouchers available and revising its criteria to allow more veterans to participate, including those with children, short-term disabilities or chronic medical conditions such as diabetes.

The housing authority, in partnership with the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital's Health Care for Homeless Veterans division, is getting $897,000 for 105 new vouchers and will start accepting applications this week.

"We feel this program is one of the best solutions to ending homelessness," said Wendy Hellickson, program supervisor.

Flores now lives in a two-bedroom town house in Belmont Heights Estates, a new community built at the former College Hill public housing site near Ybor City.

"Even when things aren't good, I still have a home to come to. I'm really proud for my grandkids to have a place to come to," she said. "My family came here for New Year's. Do you know how good I felt?"

Section 8 tenants are responsible for paying rent equivalent to 30 percent of their income. To qualify for the veterans program, they must meet the federal definition of homeless, which includes people who lack fixed, regular or adequate nighttime residence, live in a shelter or sleep on the street.

Counselors Provided

They must pass annual HUD inspections, and they also must agree to work with a case manager, which can include a mental health counselor, clinical nurse specialist or licensed social worker.

Case management, Hellickson said, typically means a once-a-month visit with a professional who helps the veteran with tasks such as finding employment or keeping medical appointments.

"The whole idea is to help them become independent, if possible, and to maintain stability in housing," she said.

Applicants for the new vouchers will go before a three-member committee of housing experts to be evaluated.

Another change from the earlier version of the program: If a veteran is unable to meet the requirements of the program, the Section 8 voucher can be passed on to another applicant. Previously, the vouchers were eliminated if the recipient failed to comply and was removed from the program.

The 2007 census identified about 9,500 homeless people in Hillsborough County, Hellickson said. It's difficult to determine how many of those might be veterans, she said, although the VA estimates that one out of every three homeless people is a veteran.

They're typically in their 40s or 50s, she said, although a younger generation of soldiers is now returning from prolonged combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We're getting a whole new group of homeless. They're being evicted, or their home is foreclosed. The population is changing," Hellickson said. "Our women's program has seen eight to 10 homeless women from the Iraq era. We haven't seen as many men. I think we're starting to get the phone calls."

Life Takes Unexpected Turns

Flores never expected to be in this situation.

She joined the Air Force at 17 and served as a linguist interrogator in the intelligence unit. She was stationed in Texas but never saw combat. She received an honorable discharge in the 1970s and returned home to New York, where she worked, raised two sons and lived with her husband, who died in 1991.

She also helped care for her mother, who was ill. In 2004, her mother moved to Tampa and Flores followed. They lived together for a while until Flores said she was unable to physically care for her mother. Then her mother moved in with Flores' brother.

After her mother died in 2006, Flores found herself living briefly with her son and then in a room at a neighbor's. She became severely depressed, but eventually found housing through the program while receiving care at Haley.

Flores said she has been diagnosed as bipolar and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, which helped her qualify.

She said she has met other local veterans who slept outdoors after losing their homes. "I'm like, this is the United States! How can this happen? This shouldn't happen here."

The arthritis in her wrists recently caused her to lose her job as a cook because she can no longer lift heavy pots and utensils, she said. She plans to work with her case manager to receive vocational training in hopes of finding a new job and, ultimately, becoming self-sufficient.

Having a home, she said, definitely helps.

"I used to cry a lot. It's sad, you know, when you don't have a place," she said. "The house means so much to me."

GETTING HELP
For veterans: To apply for the assisted housing program, call Sally Sierra, program assistant for the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program, at (813) 972-7058.
For landlords: To participate in the program, call the Tampa Housing Authority's Assisted Housing Department at (813) 253-0551.

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.

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