Leah T. thinks about her struggles — the two years she was alone and homeless — and the long suffering in silence from the verbal abuses she endured in the US Army. It’s a trigger – the memory of the abuse, she explained – that brings her back to the places she’s longed to forget.
“I was 21 years old when a male soldier in Seoul Korea verbally abused me and I reported the incident and those memories are still fresh in my mind,” says Leah. “It got so stressful that I almost had a miscarriage,” adds Leah. “I was transferred to a less stressful job collecting items needed for incoming soldiers.”
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| Leah T. at HVAF |
A year later, Leah traveled to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and gave birth to her healthy baby girl. However, employment prospects seemed bleak and Leah became homeless in 2012. She entered HVAF supportive housing.
“I like to think that I am not homeless here at HVAF because I have all these resources that I need,” she says. “When I am able to move on to permanent housing, HVAF has a program (SSVF) that will help me purchase a bed and a couch,” she says.
Today, Leah continues to utilize HVAF housing and is also an active runner with Back on My Feet, a national nonprofit organization that promotes self-sufficiency through running.
When Bill Bledsoe isn’t running his own business named “A Mobile Barber”, he can be found roaming the city streets, offering sophisticated trims to those who need it most.
“There is so much negativity in this world today,” Bledsoe says, “and I just simply wanted to bring some positive energy and hope into this world.”
Bill said he’s been offering free haircuts to HVAF veterans since May 2008 when the shop was set up. He was first introduced to HVAF by Past Board Chairman Steve Benz. Bill helped get items donated for the shop and also donated his own items, but in 2012 health related issues prevented him from volunteering at HVAF once a week.
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| Bill Bledsoe at HVAF |
“My most vivid memory of one particular veteran’s reaction was a simple smile,” Bledsoe said. “He was a recovery addict and so shy and rarely made eye contact with anybody. He looked extremely rough and callused. During his haircut, he looked upset the entire time and didn't look up once, until the cut was complete.”
The veterans HVAF serves all have different circumstances and Bill says he stays connected with the ones he meets.
“I have stayed in contact with a lot of the veterans at HVAF through Facebook and I even got invited to a wedding!” says Bill. “If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction.”
A simple act of kindness goes a long way to helping a homeless veteran.
