>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO GREAT DAY, HOUSTON HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST
POPULATIONS OF VETERANS IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. WHEN MANY COME HOME THEY FACE
AN UNINTENDED ENEMY, PTSD,
MENTAL ILLNESS, HOMELESSNESS.
VALARIE JAMES AND CHASSITY
WILFORD LIVED ON THE STREETS
AND FOUND A WAY HOME.
THEY HELP OTHERS TO FIGHT THEIR
WAY BACK.
WAY BACK.
WAY BACK. AS PART OF MENTAL HEALTH
AMERICA.
AMERICA.
AMERICA. AND HOSTILE.
AND HOSTILE. IT WAS FUNNY DURING THE
COMMERCIAL BREAK, YOU WILL GET
PEOPLE WHO SAY YOU DON'T LOOK
LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN
HOMELESS, YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE
YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A DRUG
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. YOU LOOK LIKE HUMAN BEINGS.
>> GREATER HOUSTON BECAUSE THEY
ARE AMAZING.
ARE AMAZING. WE GET THAT AND THE CRAZY THING
IS PEOPLE DON'T ASSUME WOMEN
HAVE SERVED IN THE MILITARY,
MUCH LESS WE GOT OUT AND
HOMELESS.
HOMELESS.
HOMELESS. >> IT'S A RECENT THING THAT WE
LOOKED AT THAT.
WOMEN HAVE BEEN PART OF THE
MILITARY A LONG TIME.
NOT THE FIRST TIME WE VISITED
THAT, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.
>> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. >> ALL RIGHT.
YOU SERVED IN THE MILITARY AND
WHEN YOU GOT OUT WHAT WAS THE
TURN THAT CHANGED THINGS FOR
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? >>
YOU? >> YOU KNOW, IN THE MILITARY WE
ARE TAUGHT TO DO VERY WELL IN
CHAOS.
CHAOS.
CHAOS. WHEN YOU GET OUT, IT'S HARD TO
RELATE TO PEOPLE AT THAT POINT.
YOU GET OUT AND THE CHAOS IS
STOPPED AND THAT SILENCE,
THAT'S WHAT CAUSES THE BREAK.
>> I RAN INTO A MAN THE OTHER
DAY WHO WAS A VETERAN.
AND HE SAID, LOOKING, I'M A
PROFESSIONAL CAMPER, I SAW MARK
ICHIBAN, TRIED TO WALK UP AND
APPROACH HIM.
APPROACH HIM. IT TOOK TIME TO BREAK DOWN THE
WALL, HE WAS VERY DISTRUSTING,
HE HAS BEEN JADED.
HE SAID WE CAN HELP YOU.
THAT WHAT THEY SAY, YOU BECOME
JADED BECAUSE THAT IS YOUR
DEFENSE MECHANISM.
DEFENSE MECHANISM. >> WE STAY ON THE STREET AND WE
ARE COMFORTABLE THERE, THE
PROBLEM WHERE IT BECOMES
UNHEALTHY WE DON'T TRUST
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE
CAMARADERIE OF THE SYSTEM
ANYMORE SO THERE IS NO ONE, WE
ISOLATE OURSELVES, WE WILL
NOT GET HELP MENTALLY,
PHYSICALLY.
PHYSICALLY. AND, YEAH, I GOT SICK OUT ON
THE STREET AND I WAS GRATEFUL
THAT GOD AND SOME KIND PEOPLE
REACHED OUT TO ME AND SAID, NO
IT'S TIME.
IT'S TIME. >> AND CHASSITY, WOMEN ARE
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE ON THE
STREETS.
STREETS.
STREETS. >> YES, A LOT OF TIMES SAD LEAH
LOT OF US RUN AWAY FROM HOME TO
GO INTO THE MILITARY SO WE COME
FROM TRAUMA SO WE ARE
VULNERABLE WHEN WE GO INTO THE
MILITARY, THEN WE COME OUT THAT
VULNERABLE IS EVEN SO --
VULNERABILITY
VULNERABILITY IS EVEN SO MUCH MORE.
WE ARE SEEKING SOMETHING WE
DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIND SO WE
END UP I KNOW FOR ME I ENDED UP
BEING IN A LOT OF
TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS.
TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS. >> SEXUAL TRAUMA AS WELL, YOU
THROW THAT IN THERE THEN YOU
START TO SELF MEDICATE.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. YES.
YES.
YES. I
YES. I WENT THROUGH TWO YEARS OF
SEVERE DRUG ADDICTION.
AND THEN I CAME OUT AND THEN I
MOVED DOWN HERE ABOUT FIVE
YEARS AGO AND GOT INTRODUCED TO
SANTA MARIA
SANTA MARIA HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. >> SANTA MARIA HOSPITAL WHAT
THEY DO IS TAKE WOMEN AND THEIR
CHILDREN INTO A RECOVERY
PROCESS BECAUSE YOU ARE
ABLE TO IMPACT THAT NEXT
GENERATION.
GENERATION. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. FOR YOU, WHAT WAS YOUR COMING
TO JESUS MOMENT?
THE MOMENT WHERE YOU SAID I CAN
NO LONGER DEAL WITH THE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE, NO LONGER DEAL
WITH THE STREETS I
HAVE TO BECOME STABLE?
>> I WAS ACTUALLY -- I HAD BEEN
ON DRUGS VERY HARD FOR AWHILE.
I WAS INTRAVENOUS USER, I HAD A
GENTLEMAN GOING TO PUT ME UP IN
A HOTEL AS A PROSTITUTE FOR
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. AND
HIM. AND THAT'S NOT THE LIFE I COME
FROM.
FROM.
FROM. AND
FROM. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED I CALLED
FAMILY AND I SAID I NEED HELP.
>> REACHED OUT FOR HELP AND
YOUR COMING TO JESUS MOMENT.
>> MY COMING TO JESUS MOMENT
WAS THIS REALLY COOL
ORGANIZATION CALLED U.S. VETS
AND CLOUD BREAK, THEY HOUSE
500 VETERANS MIDTOWN.
AND SOMEONE SAID, YOU KNOW,
THERE IS A PLACE THAT HOUSES
VETERANS YOU CAN BE AROUND YOUR
OWN PEOPLE.
OWN PEOPLE. NOT BELIEVING THAT EITHER I
FINALLY WENT UP AND TALKED TO
THEM AND SAID WE'LL GET YOU IN
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>
TODAY. >> AND WHAT A CHANGE WE SEE,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? I
RIGHT? I MEAN YOU HAVE HOW FAR YOU
HAVE COME.
HAVE COME. NOW YOU ARE HELPING OTHER
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. I
PEOPLE. I THINK OBVIOUSLY THE VALUE IN
THAT IS THAT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS
THEY FEEL HOPELESS, YOU ARE NOT
HOPELESS AND YOU ARE NOT
HELPLESS BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. >>
THERE. >> IT WORKS CAMARADERIE, JUST
HAVING SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN IN
THE SERVICE WITH YOU SAYING I
GET IT, YOU WERE
ON THE STREET, WE COME FROM
TRAUMA AS CHASSITY SAID, WE
COME OUT AND MORE TRAUMATIZED.
AND WE DON'T HAVE LIKE I SAID
OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN
ONE OF US CAN SAY I HAVE BEEN
THERE, I HAVE DEALT WITH MENTAL
ILL HE THIS, HELP IS POSSIBLE.
>> YOUR STRUGGLE BECOMES YOUR
STRENGTH AND FOR YOU BY THE WAY
CONGRATULATIONS, 8 YEARS SOBER?
>> YES, MA'AM, YES, MA'AM.
AND WE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
WITH YOUR CHILDREN ANOTHER 0
THING SANTA MARIA HOSPITAL
DOES.
DOES.
DOES. IT'S THE ENTIRE FAMILY'S IS IS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WITH SANTA MARIA I DID NOT GO
THROUGH THEIR PROGRAM, IN
WORKING WITH SANTA MARIA AND
WHAT THEY DO IS COMES
OVER INTO THE STAFF'S LIFE,
TOO.
TOO.
TOO. AND
TOO. AND WE CONTINUE TO HEAL
THROUGH, YOU KNOW, OUR
ADDICTION AND IT'S BEEN
AMAZING.
AMAZING.
AMAZING. >> THERE IS IS A MOTHER OUT
THERE STRUGGLING TRYING TO
CHOOSE -- BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A
HARD THING, SHE'S GOT HER
CHILDREN, LOVES MORE THAN
ANYTHING IN THE WORLD BUT THAT
DRUG IS WANTING HER TO LOVE
THAT DRUG MORE, WHAT DO
YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THAT WOMAN
WHO IS TRYING TO BREAK FREE?
>> THAT IT'S POSSIBLE.
THAT THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS
OTHER THAN THE DRUG TO KEEP US
IN THAT PLACE AND TO HIDE FROM
THOSE THINGS THAT
WE'RE RUNNING FROM AND THAT YOU
CAN LOVE YOUR CHILD AND WE CAN
SHOW YOU AND WE CAN HELP YOU.
>> AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY
TO THAT VETERAN OUT THERE NOT
INTENDING TO COME BACK AND HAVE
ANOTHER FIGHT ON
THEIR HANDS?
THEIR HANDS? >> I'M JUST IN LOVE WITH OUR
ORGANIZATIONAL HELP AMERICA,
THEY HAVE LET THE VETERANS HELP
THE HOMELESS
THE HOMELESS VETERANS DURING HARVEY AND HELP
THE VETERANS THROUGH TRAININGS
WE DO NOW.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT I WOULD SAY
WE NOT ONLY CAN GET THEM OFF
THE STREET, WE CAN MAKE THEM
MENTORS AND LIKE
MYSELF, LIKE CHASSITY, WHO WENT
THROUGH OUR MENTORSHIP
PROGRAMS, WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE
WHAT WAS DAMAGED AND HURT AND
TAKE THAT STORY, TURN IT TO
STRENGTH.
STRENGTH.
STRENGTH. >> THE TRUE BROTHERHOOD, THE
TRUE SISTER HOOD.
>> THAT IS ALL THAT IS MISSING.
>> FOR MORE ON THE PROGRAMS FOR
VETERANS AT MENTAL