>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE DOORS OPEN OFFERING TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR PIERCE
COUNTY FOR HOMELESS WOMEN
VETERANS, AND WE HAVE JUST
OPENED NEW HOPE FOR HOMELESS
WOMEN VETERANS . IT IS UNIQUE
AND NECESSARY AND PLEASE
WELCOME THE VETERAN NAVIGATOR,
KACY CROSS.
KACY CROSS. THIS IS THE FORMER STAFF
SERGEANT ALONG WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL GUARD PRIVATE
FIRST CLASS ALOYS WILSON .
WELCOME, BOTH OF YOU.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MILITARY
CAREERS.
CAREERS.
CAREERS. >> I JOINED THE ARKANSAS AIR
NATIONAL GUARD IN 2012.
I WAS TRYING TO GO TO SCHOOL
AND THEY HAD THE MONEY.
I WENT TO ETHIOPIA, AND I GOT
OUT THIS PAST JANUARY.
IT WAS A LONG RIDE BUT I GOT
OUT, AND IT IS ALSO.
>> I WAS AN OFFICER RESOURCES
SPECIALIST.
SPECIALIST. I GOT OUT DUE TO AN INJURY I
INCURRED DURING BASIC TRAINING.
>> THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
HOW LONG WERE YOU LIVING WHERE
YOU WERE BEFORE YOU
TRANSITIONED AND HOW DID THE
HOUSING HELP YOU?
>> I WAS LIVING IN ARKANSAS.
I WAS THEREFORE 18 YEARS.
I MOVED HERE IN NOVEMBER LAST
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. I
YEAR. I WAS RUNNING INTO SOME
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. I HAD A JOB FOR A THERAPIST FOR
CHILDREN WITH AUTISM.
I WAS UNDEREMPLOYED AND I FOUND
MYSELF HOMELESS.
MYSELF HOMELESS. I WAS WORKING AT THE TIME.
IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE COMPARED
ARKANSAS.
ARKANSAS.
ARKANSAS. I MET WITH THE BETSY ROSS HOUSE
VETERANS HOUSING GROUP IN
PIERCE COUNTY.
PIERCE COUNTY. THEY HELPED ME TO GET A PLACE
TO STAY.
TO STAY.
TO STAY. I WAS THERE FOR ABOUT A MONTH
BUT AT THE TIME I WAS WORKING
AT DuPONT, BUT THAT IS A VERY
LONG DRIVE.
LONG DRIVE. I DID NOT HAVE THE GAS TO
ACCOMMODATE THAT.
ACCOMMODATE THAT. I ENDED UP STAYING WITH THE
MOTHER OF A FRIEND.
I GOT A JOB AS A VETERANS
NAVIGATOR IN FEBRUARY.
>> YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT PEOPLE
ARE GOING THROUGH AND LIVING ON
A CLOSE MARGIN, ONE LITTLE
THING CAN PUT YOU INTO THE
HOUSING INSECURITY.
HOUSING INSECURITY. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING HELPED.
>> IT MADE A BIG TIME
DIFFERENCE.
DIFFERENCE. >> WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU?
>> I WAS DISCHARGED IN JULY
2017 AND I WENT HOME TO
TEXARKANA, TEXAS.
TEXARKANA, TEXAS. I WAS DISCHARGED WITH AN
UNLIVABLE AMOUNT AND IT WAS
HARD TO FIND EMPLOYMENT.
SIX MONTHS WENT PAST AND I
DECIDED TO MAKE THE MOVE TO
WASHINGTON WHERE EMPLOYMENT WAS
MORE OPPORTUNE.
MORE OPPORTUNE. IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR I WAS
IN THE COMPENSATED WORK PROGRAM
BUT MY INJURY GOT WORSE AND IT
WAS HARD TO MAINTAIN
EMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYMENT. THE BETSY ROSS FOUNDATION SAID
THEY HAD A ROOM AND BED FOR ME.
THEY SAID MOVIE AND WE WILL
HELP YOU GET CHECKED AND YOU
WILL BE GOOD TO GO.
I MOVED IN LAST MONTH AND
EVERYTHING IS BETTER.
>> DO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WORK
ON YOUR HEALTH AND GET YOURSELF
IN A BETTER POSITION FOR
EMPLOYMENT?
EMPLOYMENT? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. THEY ARE WORKING HARD TO
MAINTAIN MY CASE MANAGEMENT
PLAN.
PLAN.
PLAN. I'M
PLAN. I'M WORKING ON GETTING MY
DRIVERS LICENSE THIS MONTH AND
SOON I WILL BE A HOMEOWNER.
>> THAT'S WONDERFUL.
>> WHAT STRIKES ME IS THAT THIS
IS FOR FEMALE VETERANS.
WE HEAR ABOUT PROGRAMS BEING
BUILT FOR VETERANS BUT
SOMETIMES NOT SPECIFICALLY FOR
WOMEN.
WOMEN.
WOMEN. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
HOUSING, THAT CAN BE A
PARTICULAR ISSUE.
PARTICULAR ISSUE. TELL US WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT FEMALE VETERANS HAVE A
FACILITY LIKE THIS ONE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, VETERAN AND
HOMELESSNESS SHOULD NOT BE IN
THE SAME SENTENCE BUT IT HAS
BEEN FOR YEARS.
THE FEMALE VETERAN IS
UNDERSERVED.
UNDERSERVED. THE MILITARY IN GENERAL IS NOT
MEANT FOR THE FEMALE
POPULATION.
POPULATION. THEY WANT US TO BE NURSES.
WITH FEMALES INTEGRATING INTO
THE MILITARY THEY WERE HAVING
TROUBLE FINDING SERVICES TO
LIVE IN.
LIVE IN.
LIVE IN. FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE
HOUSING FOR FEMALES IS A
REWARDING EXPERIENCE.
REWARDING EXPERIENCE. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE
MORE PROGRAMS LIKE THIS.
>> YOU ARE PART OF STARTING
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. YOU
THIS. YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS AND
THAT CAN BE THE CENTER OF
EXCELLENCE.
EXCELLENCE. HOW DOES ONE QUALIFIED TO MOVE
INTO THAT BETSY ROSS HALL?
>> YOU HAVE ONE DAY OF ACTIVE
SERVICE IN ANY BRANCH, AND YOU
MUST BE A WOMAN.
IT IS 30 DAYS CLEAN AND SOBER.
YOU HAVE TO PASS A BACKGROUND
SCREENING SINCE WE ARE ON THE
WASHINGTON STATE VETERANS HOME
WITH BONNER BOLTON -- WITH
BONNER BOLTON ADULTS, NO
CRIMINAL ACTS, VIOLENT ACTS,
ARSON OR SEXUAL ACTS.
>> HOW IS THIS MADE A
DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE AND
WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED WITHOUT
THIS OPPORTUNITY?
THIS OPPORTUNITY? >> I FEEL LIKE IF I HAD NOT
MADE THE MOVE HERE, BEING
SCREENED AND PROPERLY EVALUATED
I DON'T THINK I WOULD'VE BEEN
IN THIS QUIET ENVIRONMENT.
>> IT MUST BE A MENTAL RELATE.
>> IT WAS.
I WAS VERY WORRIED EMPLOYMENT
WISE, MENTALLY WISE AND
EVERYTHING WISE.
EVERYTHING WISE. IT WAS ALL ABOUT ME, MY
PROBLEMS AND HOW TO OVERCOME
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. SINCE I HAVE MOVED IN
EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PERFECT.
>> I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR IT.
HOW MANY BEDS AND ROOMS DO YOU
HAVE AND HOW FULL ARE YOU?
>> WE HAVE 12 BEDS AND PRIVATE
ROOMS.
ROOMS.
ROOMS. WE
ROOMS. WE HAVE FIVE FEMALES IN THE
HOME RIGHT NOW.
WE HAD 13 COMING AND GOING
INCLUDING MYSELF BUT RIGHT NOW
WE ARE SITTING AT FIVE.
>> HOW CAN PEOPLE REACH YOU TO
MAKE SURE THAT QUALIFIED?
>> BY EMAIL OR PHONE,
KACY.CROSS@BETSYROSSCARE.COM.
KACY.CROSS@BETSYROSSCARE.COM. >> WE WILL PUT THAT UP FOR
PEOPLE THAT REQUESTED.
QUICKLY GO OVER THE SERVICES
BEYOND HOUSING.
BEYOND HOUSING. >> WE ALSO HAVE CASE MANAGEMENT
SERVICES.
SERVICES.
SERVICES. ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP YOU
SUCCEED IN BEING AN INDEPENDENT
INDIVIDUAL IN WASHINGTON STATE,
ANYTHING WE CAN HELP YOU WITH
WE WILL TRY TO HELP YOU WITH.
I AM THE NAVIGATOR THAT
CONNECTS WOMEN TO OTHER
SERVICES OUTSIDE OF THIS.
>> YOU ARE THE NAVIGATOR.
THAT IS ALSO MEANT THANK YOU
BOTH FOR COMING IN.
>> BETSY ROSS HALL IS A PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PIERCE
COUNTY, THE WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
AND WEST CARE WHICH IS WHAT THE
BETSY ROSS IS UNDER.
TOGETHER WE ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT
THE WOMEN VETERANS IN THE
HOUSING.
HOUSING.
HOUSING. >> IT IS A GREAT PARTNERSHIP.
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