MACV Veteran Story: Pete
“Having a place to call home is great. It makes me feel human again” -Pete, housed Veteran.
Pete, a Navy Veteran who served from 1983-1989, has always gotten his medical care from the VA and became aware of MACV and other services that could assist him through his military connections. Pete shared, “I had been to a few Stand Downs before, so I have known about MACV for a long time, and this year I took it upon myself to look up MACV when I was staying at a homeless shelter.”
Prior to connecting with MACV housing case management at our office in Duluth, Pete was in and out of housing around the state and country. He waited for a section 8 voucher but was unable to secure housing because of complications of navigating the system alone. Then he found his case manager, Chris, through MACV, who placed him in transitional housing for stability while working with him and the MACV employment program.
After six weeks, the MACV Duluth housing team moved Pete out of transitional housing and into permanent housing. “When I moved in, the Duluth Elks and MACV supplied me with many household things, pillows, cleaning supplies, and additional items, and I am thankful for that.”
“My advice to other Veterans who need help or are homeless is to reach out and ask for help and follow the resources. All the MACV staff have been supportive, friendly faces who have reached out to me and helped me along the way.” Pete
We are immensely proud of Pete and grateful to have been a part of his journey home! Now that Pete is housed, we will continue to support him as needed to help him achieve success and maintain his housing. Pete’s story is just one example of the many Veterans our housing program has served since MACV’s start in 1990. Our goal in our housing program is to ensure that every Veteran finds sustainable and suitable housing promptly. Every Veteran we house and support equals one less Veteran experiencing homelessness.