On 12 April, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., VALOR Clinic Foundation is once again conducting a mini-stand down for the homeless, veteran and non-veteran alike. This time the event will be held at the Curtis National Guard Armory at 15th and Allen Streets. For more details, see the flyer below. (more…)
Enjoy a night out at the historic State Theatre in Easton on Air Product’s dime. It’s their way of saying thank you for your service. See the flyer below for the dates. (more…)
Hire Our Heroes (HOH) will provide a free, round-trip ticket to anywhere in the country if a transitioning veteran needs to go to a job interview but is otherwise without the means to travel to and from the interview. (more…)
As a result of discussions within our newly formed Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Action Committee (LVHVAC) about the loss of the local Red Cross’ Valley Wide Helpline, which had been a valuable resource to the local social services community, and because it considers a common telephone resource line for homeless and near-homeless veterans and their families an essential service, LVMAC invited Toni McCuistion, Director for PA 2-1-1 East, United Way of Lancaster, to speak on the topic of “2-1-1 Service in the Lehigh Valley, How It Can Help Veterans, How You Can Help It” at its March 19 Council business meeting. (more…)
Hammer Training and Fitness at 420 Allentown Drive, Allentown, PA 18109 is doing a good thing on March 22 between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. It is conducting a fundraiser for veterans (using LVMAC as the recipient to ensure the money raised is locally used) while also providing an entertaining event where veterans and others can gather at ease and mingle. The event consists of a seminar, a social, and exhibition bouts. The latter two events are free, but donations are encouraged. The social begins at 5 p.m. followed by the sparring matches starting at 7 p.m. (more…)
Many veterans with a VA-rated disability are unaware they may also be entitled to a Social Security benefit program known as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) service-connected compensation program, it too has come under congressional scrutiny for its processing times. However, on 19 February Social Security Administration (SSA) officials announced plans to expedite disability claims for individuals with a VA approved, 100 percent disability rating. (more…)
As a result of the recent storm, roof damage has occurred at the Allentown VA Clinic, which necessitates a change of location of VALOR Clinic Foundation’s Mini-Stand Down on 15 February. Site has been moved to 1660 Cedar Crest Boulevard, the parking lot of the National Penn Bank in the Read more…
One Way You Can Help Your Homeless Veterans Locally – Find Them, Gather Them
Not all who are homeless deserve their circumstance. Good families are affected nowadays. We of the Lehigh Valley are a hardy people, but living on the streets or in pioneer camps should not be our final option. It is an unfortunate reality nonetheless.
It seems doubly a shame for our community when one who has honorably served and actually fought for his or her country is found in such a condition. Whether it is this veteran’s pride or behavior, or a combination of both, that has led to the situation should not matter to us – we can always find a plausible excuse for inaction.
As the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) activates its new Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Action Committee to attack veteran’s homelessness as a regional problem, one of its participants is already trying to get those in the most extreme of circumstances in from the “cold.” VALOR Clinic Foundation, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit now working its way down from the Bangor area into the wider Lehigh Valley, has taken up the mission of establishing routine stand downs in the Lehigh Valley. (more…)
See our Street Sheet Section and other resources on this Answers Desk page: Local Homeless Veterans Resources. ### As of 12 December 2013
To meet the demand, a reprinting of Stephanie Laite Lantham’s Veterans and Families’ Guide for Recovering from PTSD is now available upon request at no cost to those who want to learn more about PTSD and want to know how to help a loved one or a friend. The booklet has also proven unexpectedly useful to the local judiciary and municipalities as well.
“The Guide” was at one time distributed by the Military Order of Purple Heart (MOPH) to the VA Vet Centers in all 50 states. That’s how it came it first came to our attention. We believed booklet could fulfill an additional, special need in our community if tailored to it. Fortunately, the author was willing to work with us. (more…)