A True Salute To Our Veterans

On the day before Veterans Day, many people will be heading home from work excited about having tomorrow off for the holiday. Some Veterans will be heading home from a tour of duty overseas and looking forward to seeing their loved ones. In both cases and if they are lucky enough, these folks are all headed home and look forward to being home for the remainder of the holiday season.

Someone might ask what about Veterans who do not have a home due to the economy, illness or some other factor that has caused them to lose those family ties and a place to call home?
Well, some friends of mine asked themselves that very question about two years ago and began a journey to seek the answer. During their journey, they found that there are 107,000 homeless veterans in the United States.

Can you imagine that some of these men and women who have served their country proudly have no home on Veterans Day, Thanksgiving or any other day? My friends also found out that because some of our veterans do not receive the health care they need after returning home that 18 veterans commit suicide daily. Yes, I said daily.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 45% of our veterans suffer from some type of mental illness and 33% of the homeless population in the United States; are Veterans.
My friends were amazed and appalled at these statistics as I am sure many of you are too.

Today, I took part in the celebration for the grand opening of Buchman Meadows in Chester, Pennsylvania. Buchman Meadows is located at 1000 Meadow Lane, Chester, Pa and is a place that some of our displaced Veterans can and will in the very near future call home. Buchman Meadows is the answer to the question of veteran housing and to the sad reality of homeless United States Military Veterans who won’t be saluted and thanked for their service tomorrow.

Buchman Meadows is a beautiful 42 unit apartment building that is for any Veteran in need of housing and benefit assistance. On site at Buchman Meadows will be a representative from Social Services to assist the Veterans and their families in obtaining the earned benefits of a United States Military Veteran who has been honorably discharged from service. The friends that created this answer for our homeless Vets had reason to celebrate as the first couple moved into the building today and there were many local dignitaries there to welcome those new residents home. Any Veteran, including those who meet the income requirements to receive assistance, will now have a place to call home on Veterans Day and every other day of the year.

Buchman Meadows is the first residence of it’s' kind and mission in this region. Jack Whelan, Chairman of Delaware County Council said today that the building is reminiscent of historic Williamsburg, Virginia. I and many others took a tour of the refurbished building today and we were amazed at the beauty and opportunity that Buchman Meadows will offer residents.

So, here is what I know and some of what I learned. The history of this building has come full circle with its' future. The building was used to house ship workers initially and then WWI veterans and served as a VA hospital for a period of time. The history is rich and the future is bright for Buchman Meadows and the Veterans who will live there. As Dr. Carolyn Collins said today “This is the land of the free because of the brave”.

I couldn’t agree more with that statement. With a little help from my friends, Buchman Meadows is a true salute to our Veterans and we thank all of our Veterans for their service to our country. If you would like more information about Buchman Meadows or for an application, call (484) 841-6646. Maybe you too, can be a friend to a displaced Veteran and become a partner in provding them the opportunity to have a home.

Until my next post, Go Native.

Diane Holefelder