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Homeless Women Vets Get New Home In Tampa

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN sackerman@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 7, 2008

TAMPA - Room by room, a two-story, century-old brick boardinghouse at 1301 E. Columbus Ave. is outfitted with community donations designed to make homeless female veterans feel at home.

Twin beds donated by Haverty's are covered with patchwork spreads sewn by Lady of the Lake Quilters.

The American Legion Auxiliary No. 185 of Spring Hill and Brooksville, and Gold Star Wives helped furnish the dining room next to a kitchen that boasts a chrome gas stove from the Military Family Support Trust.

The building is the foundation of the Athena Female Veteran Transitional Housing Program, one of two in the nation that caters to homeless female veterans, a growing population that is beginning to attract attention.

Women make up more than a quarter of the military, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which estimates there are more than 194,000 homeless veterans nightly nationwide; about 6,000 are women.

The Tampa Bay area is home to about 400 homeless female veterans, said Sara Romeo, executive director of Tampa Crossroads, which is operating the program with a $345,000 grant from the veterans agency.

After Nov. 1, 16 women honorably discharged from the military will move in to the former Cueto-Sierra Boarding House, where they 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 get back on their feet, said Romeo, who hosted a building tour Monday.

It's increasingly important that the United States has facilities to support veterans, said Lt. Col. Lee Ann Gallagher, a battalion commander who trains soldiers.

Some women return from war and 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.

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

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

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