Last Updated on February 27, 2019 by Luke Feldbrugge
The Homes for Heroes Foundation’s mission is to help American heroes in dire need as it pertains to housing or emergency financial assistance. The mission of the Veterans Center of North Texas is to assist Veterans with locating information, training, and if necessary, housing or financial relief. In January, the Homes for Heroes Foundation and Homes for Heroes real estate specialist, Sharon Phillips, presented a $5,000 check to the Veterans Center of North Texas to help some of our struggling Veterans.
Mission and Services Provided by Veterans Center of North Texas
The Veterans Center of North Texas is focused on serving Veterans and their families. Their mission is to assist our Veterans with locating information and benefits that enable them to establish or maintain productive lifestyles within our communities. The Veterans Center of North Texas is operated and managed 100% by volunteers and does not charge for services provided. The Veterans Center provides their services through information and referral. The funds needed to operate the Center are derived only through donations and grants.
Paul Hendricks and Dave Schafer co-founded the Veterans Center of North Texas. They both served in the United States Air Force, and held leadership positions in corporate America before starting the nonprofit to help their fellow Veterans who were struggling.
Paul Hendricks is retired from the Air Force and the Boeing Company. He is a Vietnam Veteran with extensive leadership experience. During his time in the industry he supported the B-1B bomber development program and managed multiple proprietary programs. Upon retirement, Paul remained focused on community service. He is the President of the Dallas Air Force Association and is the Mayor Pro Tem for the Town of Fairview. He co-founded the Veterans Center of North Texas with the goal to provide support to Veterans and their families to locate benefits and services to enable them to establish or maintain productive lifestyles within our communities.
Dave Schafer is retired from the Air Force and AT&T. During his career he managed Information Technology systems for both the Air Force and AT&T. Dave is the President of the Greater Dallas Chapter Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). He is also a co-founder of the Veterans Center of North Texas. He has supported the development and maturity of the organization.
How the Veterans Center of North Texas Helps Veterans
The Veterans Center has served over 3,000 Veterans since it began operations in 2014. When they encounter a Veteran with a need, they conduct an extensive intake to validate their Veteran status, characterize their perceived needs and attempt to identify the factors that are driving the needs.
The Goal: Satisfy any immediate needs, with the long-term goal to break the chain of need and establish a stable future.
Over the years of service they have identified four prominent and common areas of service that are required by our Veterans:
Shelter or Affordable Housing
The Center sees 1-2 homeless Veteran families per week. Lack of shelter becomes a major issue that must be addressed in a very timely fashion. They attempt to place a family in a temporary shelter until longer-term facilities become available. When temporary shelter is not available due to high demand or family composition, they attempt to locate hotel/motel facilities. When community funding is not available, they must look at their internal resources to provide temporary shelter relief. For longer term housing, they assist families to locate affordable housing and/or apartments. They collaborate with housing authorities, real estate agencies and loan agencies to assist Veterans in locating homes and apartments that are within the Veterans’ financial means.
Emergency Financial Relief
Immediate need funding is a must for many Veterans. The Veterans Center of North Texas constantly works to identify the root cause of issues, especially funding issues. In most cases, the Center can locate resources to assist with late rent, mortgage and/or utility payments. When community resources are not available, the Center looks inwardly in an attempt to provide assistance. Frequently, they work with creditors to reschedule payments or provide near-term waivers to provide financial relief.
Financial Maturity
Financial maturity is a very common issue with the Veterans seeking assistance. Many of the Veteran families do not know the extent of their income or the magnitude of their monthly expenses. This lack of comprehension, of developing and managing a balanced family budget, creates a recurring family crisis. The Veterans Center of North Texas provides desktop budget development and professional financial management training to Veteran families that instills financial responsibility.
Unemployment or Underemployment
Unemployment or underemployment are the root of many problems faced by the Veterans who turn to the Veterans Center of North Texas for help. Many of the Veterans are employed but at low wage levels. The Center assists these Veterans to locate education, licensing and certification necessary to qualify for improved employment. The Center also partners with multiple organizations to assist with resume development, interview training and job placement opportunities. They use the same model to assist unemployed Veterans to enter the job market. One factor they have observed is many of the Veterans do not know how to enter the job market, or lack the confidence to sell themselves. The Center’s association with community and professional agencies has been very successful in helping Veterans achieve living wage employment. Once a standard of income is established and financial maturity is embraced, the need for immediate financial assistance diminishes and long-term housing becomes a reality!
Homes for Heroes Foundation Awards $5,000 Grant to Help
The Homes for Heroes Foundation and Homes for Heroes affiliate real estate specialist, Sharon Phillips, presented a $5,000 foundation grant to the Veterans Center of North Texas to assist in their mission of serving our Veterans who are struggling with their housing or emergency financial issues.
To support the mission of the Homes for Heroes Foundation, simply donate today, and know the funds will be used to assist heroes who are struggling with housing or emergency financial issues.
