Pocatello finds home for homeless vets
Mayors across the country accepted a challenge to end veterans homelessness. Last week, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad announced the city has now housed all identified homeless veterans in the area, thanks to the efforts of a local task force.
When Blad took on the challenge back in June, he felt it was the human thing to do.
“We’ve been able to actually put them in hard-walled buildings and we’ve been able to get them all off the streets,” said Blad.
The task force is composed of several local agencies and organizations that deal with housing, veterans, or both. Together, they worked closely with landlords, encouraging them to rent to veterans and making them aware of the problem. They also created a newsletter and an emergency services informational card.
Thanks to the collaboration, Sunny Shaw, executive director of the Housing Authority of the city of Pocatello, said the agencies and organizations are more aware of each others’ services.
“If we aren’t able to assist when we get a phone call, we actually know who to refer that veteran to so they can get assistance,” Shaw said.
This issue hits home for task force member Kale Bergeson. He served a tour with the Marine Corps in the Gulf War and was laid off in the past. At the South East Idaho Community Action Agency Veterans Services, he helps veterans with transitional housing that eventually will lead to a permanent home.
“We think that we’re going to be able to overcome (these hardships) because we have in the past, things greater than losing a job or something like that,” said Bergeson. “So when things don’t work out that’s how a lot of these veterans end up becoming homeless.”
He hopes to spread awareness of the issue and he’s excited to spread it with the task force.
“As a team we can spread that awareness piece,” he said. “That’s the hardest thing to do, to make citizens aware there is a homeless problem and there is help out there.”
Mayor Blad, Shaw and Bergeson stressed veterans homelessness is an ongoing problem since a newly identified homeless veteran could pop up at anytime. The task force now meets monthly, so if that happens the veteran can get what help and resources they need immediately.
The only other Idaho mayor to take the challenge is Blackfoot Mayor Paul Loomis.
