Noteboom The Law Firm

Neighborhood Fears Effects of Veteran Homeless Shelter

July 14, 2010 - We are still in the first couple of years of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki's vision of ending homelessness among veterans. Homes and shelters for homeless veterans are being constructed and renovated as fast as money can be distributed. Not everything works out as planned, however.

Camp Washington, Cincinnati, is the site of a 50-bed shelter designed to house homeless veterans. Two years ago, talks of the shelter first surfaced and community leaders for the neighborhood where the shelter would be located supported the idea.

The Volunteers of America would run the shelter, but now residents are less than thrilled with the idea. Last year the Volunteers of America made news when they threw out Anthony Kirkland. Kirkland was a serial killer who ended up raping and killing a teenage girl.

Members of the neighborhood are worried the shelter would invite a dangerous element into their backyard. One major concern they have is with the presence of soldiers cycling back from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Because of the incident with Kirkland, the Volunteers of America has suggested using the center as a homeless veteran outreach center as opposed to a housing shelter. Should it be used as a shelter, those veterans able to become residents would be limited. No sex offenders would be welcome, all residents would have to have been honorably discharged, and would include only VA identified veterans requiring:

• Transitional housing;
• Substance abuse treatment; and
• Job assistance.

The program would provide necessary services for the veterans in the county without being paid for by the county. The County Commissioners will make the final decision on the project as they are the ones that will be responsible for selling the land to be used.