Our MACV Community Donated A Car And Prevented One Veteran From Homelessness.
The MACV supporters and community are always ready to help Veterans.
Last fall, Army Veteran Verne Parker reached out to MACV for help obtaining housing and stable employment. Verne was surviving on less than $150 per month, which made most housing options unaffordable. Her lack of housing created a cascade of challenges, including an inability to obtain and maintain employment that would help her out of this crisis. Her case manager, Mikaela, worked with community partners to connect her with temporary housing so she could focus on finding a new job. She remained diligent and by working with our employment specialist, was able to find a position that allowed her to afford her own apartment. Unfortunately, as many Minnesotans find, the employment she obtained wasn’t easily accessible by public transit from her new home.
This past month, one of our supporters, Jane from Victoria, MN, donated her Honda Civic in hopes of helping a veteran. The timing couldn’t have been better for Verne. Our team was able navigate the process of transferring the title and ownership over to Verne. With this gift of a car, our team and our supporters were able to help connect all the pieces to help one veteran find employment, reliable transportation, and have a permanent place to call home.
In early March 2019, we surprised Verne with keys to her new-to-her vehicle. She had no idea of what to expect and was overjoyed by the generosity. Take a look at the video of Verne getting in the car for the first time. Click for Video.
If you have a gently used and low mileage vehicle you would like to donate to a Veteran, please contact our team at MACV. Sustainable housing solutions are about much more than a place to sleep; every veteran has a unique story to tell and their own path to long-term stability. Let’s make sure all of Minnesota’s Veterans have every opportunity to have safe and affordable housing.