| mack405 |
| Site Admin |
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| Joined: 19 Apr 2007 |
| Posts: 21 |
| Location: Orange Park, Florida |
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Due to recent rapid growth in the area of South Florida the VSO, or Veterans Support Organization – South Florida Chapter, would like to take this opportunity to acquaint the public with a brief explanation of who we are, our Mission Statement and future vision of the organization.
Veterans Support Organization (VSO), founded in 2001, is a 501C3 non-profit charitable organization that helps homeless, needy and disabled veterans in areas surrounding our offices. VSO currently operates in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida. The organization’s fundraising efforts are accomplished with the support from businesses and stores throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida. Donations collected are forwarded to the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services to support various programs offered to veterans such as recreational activities, patient coffee program, patient emergency needs, etc.
It is the future vision of the VSO, South Florida Chapter, to raise enough funds to start a Safe Center. This center will be a shelter where veterans can bring their families for food, shelter and support during times of hardship. The VSO Safe House will offer private rooms, a common area including a kitchen, dining room and recreational area for guests. The center will be a stepping stone for homeless veterans to transition to a better quality of life for themselves and their families to leave behind the homeless life. The provisions offered by the center will be at no cost to our homeless veterans. The center will be a sanctuary for their freedom from the disparity of the homeless life.
One out of three of the adult homeless population has served their country in the Armed Services. Unfortunately, on any given day, as many as 200,000 veterans (male and female) are living on the streets or in shelters. Approximately 400,000 more veterans experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year and they too will spend a night hungry and alone.
A common question our fundraisers are asked while raising money for homeless and disabled veterans is, of course, “Why are they homeless?” In addition to the complex set of factors already affecting all homeless people: extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to affordable healthcare, a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with the lingering affects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse. These factors all become compounded by a lack of family and social support networks for homeless veterans. While most homeless veterans are single unaffiliated men, most housing money in existing federal homelessness programs, in contrast, is devoted to helping homeless families or homeless women with dependent children, as stated in Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, published by Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997.
It is the mission of the VSO to further help and support the homeless, disabled and needy veteran population through various fundraising efforts. The more the organization grows the less of a threat homelessness and lack of resources to treat the needy is to our local veteran population.
The Veterans Support Organization, South Florida Chapter: helping our needy veterans one donation at a time. |
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