Arthur is a homeless Vietnam era veteran who lives in the woods near Ithaca, New York. A relationship has gone bad and the high cost of housing left him no choice but to make a home outside.
Something as simple as making a cup of coffee in the morning takes Arthur 45 minutes. Think about that for a moment. Would you wait in line at Starbucks even 15 minutes for a Caramel Macchiato? It really hit me when I was helping Arthur work his cart down the trail. While Arthur pushed I had to lift up the front so the wheels wouldn’t dig into where the trail was soft. It was challenging to say the least, and I could not stop thinking that he makes this journey several times a day every single day!
President Obama has mandated that we will end veteran homelessness by the end of this year. That’s a very good thing. Many communities are claiming that they have ended veteran homelessness. I really want to believe them, but the real truth is there are many still experiencing homelessness and soldiers from Middle East hitting the streets every day. There has been noticeable progress, but stories like Arthur’s only prove we still need to do more!
