Jay Gershman reported this story on assignment from Vermont Public. The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
On a drizzly night this spring, about a dozen people camped out in the middle of downtown Northfield. They were there to support a housing program for veterans — located just a few blocks away.
For a night last month, tents were scattered across the grass of Northfield’s downtown square. And a big tarp. That’s where Cole Rowell was planning to spend his Friday night.
“We’re ready to spend one night, at least one night, as you would if you were homeless,” Rowell said.
He’s a student at Norwich University — a military college in town. He and others were doing this stunt of sleeping outside to raise awareness of veteran homelessness and to fundraise for a nonprofit called The Veterans’ Place. It’s a transitional home for veterans experiencing homelessness.
“So it is communal living, which actually is what helps us be successful while they’re there. They are to work on case management and housing,” said Karen Boyce, who has worked there for over a decade.
She said most residents are patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction.
“We’ll take them to AA meetings or job interviews or to look for apartments, actually help teach guys how to cook if they don’t know anything about a microwave — we’ll help with that too,” Boyce said.
Both her sons served in the military — in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“And I was so grateful that both of them came home relatively safe and sound, without the issues that I see so many veterans have from their combat, that I wanted to give back,” she said.
The program gets funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.That’s used to cover most of their operating costs, but in recent years it’s covered less. So the program must rely more on donations and fundraisers, like the one in April.
The event brought together the local community to hear from residents and ask questions about veterans’ experiences. Before everyone staying overnight settled into their tents, a former resident of The Veterans’ Place sang a version of the military bugle call “Taps.”