Hundreds Walk to Support Homeless Veterans

Hundreds of employees and supporters of the VA’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Campus in Montrose joined together for a common cause Wednesday during the  third annual "2K Walk or Roll to End Veteran Homelessness."

The event took place at 170 VA campuses across the country with the goal of putting spotlight on veteran homelessness. The two walk took place on the Montrose campus, with people holding signs and walking in unison during the course of three staggered starts.

Donations were also collected for the campus food pantry. 

“It’s really to celebrate the hard work of VA system employees who work tirelessly to help end veteran homelessness,” said Gerald Culliton, director of the VA’s Hudson Valley Healthcare System. “It’s also done to highlight the fact that the community has a lot of work to do to ensure that no veteran is ever without a home.”

In addition to the walk, Wednesday also marked the 63rd anniversary of the opening of the Montrose campus, according to Culliton.

 Culliton said about 200 people participated in the event on the Montrose campus, despite the rain.

“We’ve had a little rain in past 2K walks, but it doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits of our staff and our community partners,” Culliton said. “People put on their windbreakers and brought out their umbrellas and did the walk anyway.”

According to a point in time survey conducted by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2012, there were 633,782 homeless people in this country on a single night. Veterans accounted for nearly 63,000 of those people.
The United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki made ending veteran homelessness a top priority in 2009 with a five-year plan aimed to reach that goal. That plan brought additional resources, funding and staff to the Hudson Valley VA to strengthen their programs.

Homelessness  among veterans has declined by 7.2 percent since 2011 and by 17.2 percent since 2009, according to HUD.

The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System staff wants to help veterans in need. They ask that any veteran seeking eligibility information about VA Care please call 914-737-4400, ext. 2306 or 845-831-2000, ext. 5100 for more information.

In addition to homelessness services, the VA offers Veterans primary and specialty care, women’s health, long term care, mental health/residential care to include PTSD, substance abuse and  treatment for homeless veterans.  VA Hudson Valley services are available at the two main campuses in Montrose and Castle Point and the six Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Carmel, Goshen, Monticello, New City, Pine Plains, Port Jervis and Poughkeepsie.