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One of the 1,400 participants served last year was Joseph, a former Marine Corps sergeant who connected with the Operation Sacred Trust engagement team in the summer of 2022.
The 59-year-old Marine had lost work during the pandemic and was barely able to buy food with the $284.13 he received monthly from the VA. Shelter in a condemned building was the only option he could find – even after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Within hours of connecting with the OST engagement team, Joseph was
- moved into emergency housing at a local hotel
- provided daily food and nutrition
- assisted regularly by care managers and health care navigators
- admitted to the program’s 45-bed transitional housing community
Within months, the former Marine had
- successfully applied for a HUD-VASH housing voucher and received a significant, long overdue increase in VA benefits for his service-connected medical condition
- signed a lease to a new apartment thanks to a landlord who prioritizes OST veterans who notified the agency’s housing team
With his housing voucher and now receiving nearly $2,000 monthly in VA benefits with OST’s assistance, Joseph is continuing his cancer treatment and is hopeful about the future.
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