ORLANDO, Fla. — As an effort in central Florida continues to help place homeless veterans in permanent housing, the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs is asking community partners like the Salvation Army to help put homeless vets in temporary housing.
When they couldn’t do that for one homeless vet, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness stepped in.
Albert Kearney is now in a hotel until the VA can find him permanent, long-term housing.
Raw: Veteran describes challenges of being homeless
On Monday, 600 volunteers, including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, began working to contact every homeless veteran in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
The volunteers tried placing Kearney in a temporary shelter that received VA funds, but he was turned away because he had alcohol in his system even though the VA authorized funds for his stay with the organization.
Kearney would spend his days living under an Interstate 4 overpass on Lee Road.
Now, the VA is asking partners like the Salvation Army to find solutions to help homeless veterans get off the streets without any roadblocks.
Money raised from the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness will put Kearney in temporary housing.
The VA will follow up with permanent housing in 60 days. Its goal is to help end the cycle of veteran homelessness.
It’s a pattern that led Kearney to panhandle for hotel money and landed him in jail. He was arrested 14 times in the last three years.
On top of panhandling charges, he had charges for failure to appear in court.
He hand-wrote a letter to the court that explains he wasn’t there because he was wet from the rain.
He hopes to put those days behind him.
“I am totally off the street,” he said.
Kearney said he’s grateful that he can also start scheduling appointments for VA medical services.
WFTV
