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Veterans Community Project alum Brian has transformed his life and remains active in the Village.
Pearl Harbor Day takes on a personal significance for Navy Veteran and VCP alum Brian.
Three years ago, December 7 was the day that he moved into VCP Village and began to turn his life around.
Before stepping into his 240-square-foot home at the Village, he says flat-out, “I was on the bottom rung of life.”
He had just driven 1,200 miles from Florida to Kansas City in a rusted-out Honda Civic in hope of getting help from a fledgling nonprofit he heard about on the news. The chronic pain from breaking his back during service resulted in difficulty maintaining stable employment, which in turn led to an eviction and personal bankruptcy. He was couch surfing with friends and down to eating ramen noodles twice a day.
But importantly, Brian recognized he needed help. And in VCP, he said, “Finally, I felt like I found a place that could help me with all of these things I needed help with.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Like all residents, Brian received tailored wraparound service from his VCP case manager in five areas of support. Those areas include income stability, which for Brian included filing a disability claim with the VA the day after moving into the Village. As a result, albeit a year and a half later, he was approved for backpay and modest but regular monthly payments going forward. That eased what Brian recalls as the years-long anxiety of “always feeling like that for every dollar I had, I needed six more.”
Another one of those areas is education. Brian joined the Navy in the wake of 9/11 and served for eight years from 2001 until 2009. His role was a calibration technician, responsible for some set-up and quality-testing aspects for massive pieces of equipment, like jet engines. While he enjoyed that high-stakes work, his bad back has made that type of occupation impractical – so, a career change was in order.
At VCP, he completed his college degree, which opened up a variety of possibilities. He quickly rediscovered professional passion in substitute teaching. Brian, who is naturally affable and curious, particularly enjoys assignments working with special needs students. He says with a laugh that although few in his life would have ever described him as patient, “I sure am for these kids.”
Because he gained sustainable employment and accessed disability payments, Brian was able to build up savings, continue recovering from bankruptcy, and increase his credit score into the 700s while living in the Village. So, almost exactly two years after moving in, he was ready to move out last year on December 6.
Today, Brian has an apartment just a few miles up the street. He’s made a point to remain connected to both other alumni and current residents, like helping out with coffee hours at the Village during school breaks.
He also recently came back for the annual holiday lighting ceremony which, fittingly, took place this week a few days before Pearl Harbor Day. He had a relevant message leading up to the national day of remembrance.
“I want residents to know that they are not forgotten people,” said Brian. “These are Veterans who, like I did, may feel like they have been left behind. But they’re not alone in struggling to transition to civilian life.”
Back at his apartment, beside a small treadmill he bought to keep up with physical therapy during the winter, he shared the simple advice he often gives to current residents: “Just keep your feet moving forward.”