Indianapolis veteran overcomes physical and emotional challenges

Lamont at HVAF

Lamont is a four-year Navy veteran who served on six deployments. As a shipping and receiving clerk he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. When his service ended, Lamont struggled to find work. In 1987, he was hired at G&G Metal Spinners where he dedicated 18 years of his life. But, working in machinery took a toll on him physically. He went to see doctors and specialists and who determined that the persistent lower back pain was only going to get worse if he kept doing that kind of work.

“It was really scary because for years I had grown used to needing my strength and relying on it to do my job. Now, I could no longer do any heavy lifting. I didn’t know what I was going to do," he said.

Lamont filed for disability in June 2014. He waited. Without a steady job he became homeless. Lamont stayed with family and friends and in December 2014, he came to HVAF for help with housing. At HVAF, he met a case manager who helped change the course of his life. A case manager’s role is connecting veterans with benefits, employment opportunities as well link them to other resources. Lamont was encouraged to follow-up on the disability benefits process. He was awarded disability benefits and is permanently housed.