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They're Paying Price For Liberty Again

News Channel 8 photo by MICHAEL EGGER

Liberty Manor founder Connie Blaney shows a scar on the chest of Army Ranger James Cherry. He was wounded in Haiti.

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 17, 2008

They have a saying at Liberty Manor: No man left behind.

OK, so it's not an original one. But it certainly applies to what this mission - a two-story house for homeless veterans in a tough North Tampa neighborhood - is all about.

And now, the founders are in a bit of a pickle.

First, a little background.

Liberty Manor, a nonprofit organization, is the passion of Bill and Connie Blaney of Carrollwood. Both of their fathers served in the military, so they had a special affinity for veterans.

When Connie heard a statistic that nearly a quarter of the nation's homeless population are veterans, she knew she couldn't live with herself if she didn't do something about it.

She found a Section 8 house for sale on Ninth Street near Nebraska Avenue. It has eight bedrooms and five bathrooms. Since she and Bill had paid off the mortgage on their own home, they bought the Ninth Street house for $168,000 - and invested $25,000 more and countless hours to fix it up.

They aren't rich people.

'Time To Give Back'

"But we've been richly blessed and felt it was time to give back," says Connie, a former administrator for the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office.

Her husband, recently retired as a vice president for an electronic imaging company, was on board.

From the beginning, they knew they would not accept government grants. The house would be supported by the men, who would pay a reduced rent to cover bills. The money would come from their government benefits or jobs.

Liberty Manor is not a place to get treatment; all residents have to go through an application process and are expected to be clean and sober. Donations come in from community supporters and local businesses.

Says program manager Jeff Luddeke: "We don't like no stinking bureaucracy." He's one of Connie's success stories - a former member of the Army's Special Forces who overcame a host of legal problems and a drug addiction. He's now a mentor to the residents and helps them maneuver the complications of dealing with social service agencies.

The Blaneys and Luddeke thought they had done everything right. They got the 11,000-square-foot parcel of land rezoned by the Tampa City Council a year ago.

Approval Was Just The Start

Here's where it gets sticky. The Blaneys asked to allow for a maximum of 17 beds for the house, with the stipulation that the dwelling would remain "residential in character" to integrate with the rest of the neighborhood.

Once they got the nod from the council, they thought they were set.

But it turns out there's a two-step process. The approval was for the property alone.

The Blaneys didn't know this and began taking in residents who needed help transitioning from military life to the civilian world. Most suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and though the goal is to get them jobs and their own homes, some may never be completely independent again.

On April 29, the Blaneys got a shocker. An inspection by Tampa's fire marshal - based on the dwelling's new classification as a "hotel" - found numerous code violations. The Blaneys were told they needed a sprinkler system, hard-wired fire and smoke alarms, and external fire exits for each bedroom.

Estimated cost: $75,000.

A Time Of Heartbreak

They had a 72-hour deadline to move 13 of the 17 residents to other residential programs. "One of the most heartbreaking days of my life," Connie recalls.

The Rev. Tom Atchison of New Beginnings is providing temporary housing until the problem is resolved. The Blaneys say they will keep their commitment. But they are looking for outside help to get this issue resolved. A "Get to Know Us" open house is set for May 26.

Although they have a place to sleep, the displaced veterans often return to Liberty Manor during the day. This is where they feel safe.

"They've worked so hard to make this nice," says James Spriggs, a former Army Ranger. "When I first got here, the first thing I thought was, 'I'm finally home.' It's immaculate, it's well-decorated and, obviously, it's patriotic."

Spriggs, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, has a lot of problems resulting from his injuries. Mid-range hearing loss, a brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder. Dealing with Veterans Affairs in getting his affairs back in order and his medical treatments lined up proved to be overwhelming.

"Some people come out of the military and they're just fine. Others who have been injured, it's a little harder to step from one side of the world to another," he says.

He thinks every city in every state needs a Liberty Manor.

Because no man should be left behind. Especially those who made a sacrifice to ensure our freedom. That's something to think about this coming Memorial Day weekend.

OPEN HOUSE

Home of the Free

Because of the Brave

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Memorial Day, May 26

WHERE: 10015 N. Ninth St., Tampa

ACTIVITIES: Horseshoes, volleyball, entertainment. Appetizers and beverages will be served.

PURPOSE: To help raise funds to bring Liberty Manor up to code and bring the displaced veterans back home.

INFORMATION: Call Jeff Luddeke, (813) 352-7856, or go to libertymanor.org

Get a tour of Liberty Manor on Michelle Bearden's "Keeping the Faith" segment at 9 a.m. Sunday on WFLA-TV. She can be reached at (813) 259-7613 or mbearden@tampatrib.com.

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