At age 17, D.E. became emancipated, and following in the footsteps of his parents and grandparents, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. There, he served nine years of active-duty service, including multiple deployments, before being discharged after several injuries left him partially disabled.
His transition back to civilian life was extremely hard for him. Although he didn’t recognize it at the time for what it was, he had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Following personal hardships along with a business loss, D.E. hit a very low point. But he hadn’t totally given up hope.
That hope came during an outreach visit when he was connected to the Americans Helping Americans® Veterans Housing Support (VHS) program.
After an initial meeting with the VHS Program Manager, it was clear that he needed the same type of support as he had volunteered to give to our nation many years ago. Through the VHS program, he was able to obtain an affordable single-unit apartment that addressed his disability needs.
In addition to helping him obtain furniture and food assistance, VHS connected him with resources for mental health counseling and physical therapy.
The support that the VHS program has been able to offer this Air Force veteran has been tremendously impactful. D.E. states that since being accepted into the program, his life has changed in an incredibly positive way.
Today, D.E. reports that he is grateful and feels hopeful for what the future holds for him
