by Kristina Gabalski
There’s a festive Christmas tree in the bay window and a U.S. flag fluttering at the front door. Inside, U.S. military veterans experiencing hardship and some form of homelessness are being provided with a warm bed, hot meals and the guidance and support they need to get back on their feet.
Eagle Star Housing recently opened the transitional home for veterans at 277 South Union Street in the Village of Spencerport and held an open house on Friday, December 14.
Executive Director Zach Fuller called the turn-out “unbelievable.”
Members of the Spencerport community have welcomed the home with open arms, Fuller says. “The Village of Spencerport is unbelievable,” he notes and adds the Hometown Hero banners caught his eye when he first visited the village.
Community leaders also reached out early in the process of opening the residence.
“When we first came in, I got a phone call from the mayor – that has never happened before. This community is a huge supporter of veterans,” Fuller says.
Those attending the open house were able to tour the warmly decorated home which can house up to 14 men (16 eventually, Fuller says) and includes a kitchen, large dining room, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a laundry room, a recreation room in the basement and living rooms on the main floor equipped with comfortable furniture, televisions, desks, bookshelves and even computers.
According to Eagle Star, which also opened a 16-bed residence in Pembroke, Genesee County, in June 2012, on any given night, as many as 76,000 veterans are experiencing some form of homelessness. In New York State, nearly 6,000 veterans are classified as homeless.
“We want to be there to help them,” Fuller says, “They were there for us and we need to be there for them.”
Veterans are referred to the Spencerport residence from the Canandaigua VA, Fuller says. The men stay for 30-90 days and are provided with a bed, bedding, a dresser and one hot meal each day. The men prepare their own breakfast and lunch.
The staff assists the men with developing life skills they will need when they leave the residence and also give guidance with decisions like finding permanent housing. “The staff works hand-in-hand with each resident,” Fuller notes.
The home helps the men transition from “a homeless situation to either the next level of care or moving into an apartment and finding a job,” he says. The Veterans Administration offers the men assistance in finding employment.
Eagle Star Housing makes an effort to hire veterans, Fuller says. “Then (it becomes) veterans helping veterans.”
Fuller says Spencerport residents who visited during the December 14 open house were very supportive. Many brought donations including board games, Christmas cookies and Christmas gifts for the veterans.
He notes that Page Appliances donated a freezer to the residence.
Spencerport Mayor Joyce Lobene adds that other members of the community have also made significant contributions. “Our American Legion Auxiliary, under the directorship of President Millie Dibble, helped furnish the home with necessities. And the Perottas from Walker Brothers Funeral Home donated brand new pots and pans,” she says.
Lobene says the village welcomes the veterans and sees the residence as a way to support and help, “these brave men as they return home, find jobs and a permanent place to live.”
She attended the open house December 14 and told the Suburban News and The Herald, “We are so happy they are here. It’s the perfect way to say thank you for their service to our country.”
