'Thank God that (the Legion's) here to help'

“I’m not a typical homeless veteran,” Normand Moreau said as he set up a tent in the woods near American Legion Post 1 in Titusville, Fla. “I don’t always sleep in the woods; I spent a month just sleeping on the beach.”

Moreau, who had joined The American Legion some years ago “just to have a social life,” came to Post 1 Sept. 17 because he knew it was a place where he could receive help in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

“He lost what he had in the woods over the storm and came in today needing a tent and some food, and we took care of that. He’s got a place to sleep for tonight with a new tent, and he’ll be relocated tomorrow to a facility,” Post 1 Commander Al “Gunner” Dudley said.

With its climate, Florida is an obvious place to have a large homeless population. Many of the homeless are veterans. In Brevard County, Post 1’s home, the post works with National Veterans Home Support (NVHS) to help ensure those homeless veterans’ safety.

As Hurricane Irma approached, that mission of safety took on added importance.

“We were working with the shelters, I’ve got five search and rescue teams out in the woods every day, so we have locations and coordinates of our camps, so we can get our veterans to a safe place in advance,” said George Taylor Sr., founder and CEO of NVHS.

After the storm, though, many of the homeless veterans were left without shelter because their tents were destroyed by the wind and the rain.

“We knew we needed tents and we didn’t have enough, so we put it out on Facebook that we needed tents and blankets and sleeping bags and the community responded,” Dudley said.

That support for the veterans has helped reduce the number of homeless veterans in Brevard County from over 1,200 seven years ago to less than 100 today.

“We have so many members here (at Post 1) that are so compassionate. And most of us have worked together for several years. We find a homeless veteran, we know to make that phone call. We know the individuals to call to make a difference for that veteran,” Taylor said.

Taylor said in Moreau’s case, like many others, he’ll work with a housing coordinator to go through the Homeless Management Information System to find the best place for him.

For Taylor, who founded NVHS in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the mission to help homeless veterans is a critical one.

He encouraged other Legion posts to “go out to the camps. Go out to the food banks. Stop at a fast food when you see a bicycle and ask that individual if he’s a veteran. If he’s a veteran, make the phone call for him, plug in some basic needs. … Get that individual to a service officer. So many veterans think because they didn’t get injured, because they didn’t get a Purple Heart, that they’re not entitled to VA medical, which is not true,” he said.

And in the wake of Irma, it’s the entire community that needs help, Dudley said.

“We’re still picking up supplies and still getting it out there. There’s going to be people that’s going to be needing help for quite a while. There are some veterans that lost their homes, and they’re being relocated through FEMA. It’s going to take a long time to recover from this.

“… It’s ingrained in you to be a veteran, you’re there to help your country and your fellow men and women, and that’s what you do. It’s the right thing to do,” he said.

“I just thank God that they’re here to help,” Moreau said.