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Tampa Facility Ready To Help Homeless Women Veterans

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2008

TAMPA - Tampa Crossroads celebrated its new transitional housing program for homeless women veterans today with a tour of its 100-year-old boarding house facility and a ceremony honoring women who served their country.

The former Cueto-Sierra Boarding House at 1301 E. Columbus Ave. served as a temporary home for soldiers returning from war in the early 1900s and will soon house 16 female veterans.

The women, who are among an estimated 400 female homeless veterans in the Tampa Bay area, will receive treatment for substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues.

They also will take part in job training and educational opportunities designed to help them back on their feet, said Sara Romeo, executive director of Tampa Crossroads, a social service agency that made a name for itself locally by working with ex-offenders.

Women make up more than a quarter of the military and are becoming a growing demographic among the nation's homeless. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are more than 194,000 homeless veterans on any given night nationwide; about 6,000 are women.

"It's increasing important that we have facilities to support them," said Lt. Col. Lee Ann Gallagher, a battalion commander who trains and prepares soldiers for the Army.

Some women return from war and can easily slip back into their lives, Gallagher said. Others aren't so fortunate.

"It's so vital, so important to get everyone back to where they were before," she said.

The program is one of two nationwide catering to homeless women veterans. Residents will move into the two-story facility after Nov. 1, Romeo said.

"A priority should always be the people who put on the uniform," Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said. "They should always be taken care of."

Homeless female veterans who were honorably discharged can enroll in the program for up to two years.

For information, call Tampa Crossroads at (813) 238-5210.

Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144.

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