North Texas Veteran & Her Family Threatened With Homelessness
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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - A Collin County veteran was recently faced with a countdown no one should ever have to experience. The Army veteran, living in Allen with three children, had only 24 hours to avoid becoming homeless.
A low-budget motel is no place for a disabled veteran and her kids to spend Veteran's Day. But that is exactly the situation the North Texas family found themselves in – buying time while on the verge of homelessness, with nowhere to turn for help.
Few parents ever endure the pain of watching their children pack their belongings with nowhere to go.
U.S. Army Veteran JoAnne Gordon said, "To use the word 'homeless' actually freaked me out. The thought of it was horrifying."
Gordon now suffers from PTSD after serving six years in the Army. The condition made finding steady work difficult and led to an eviction notice last week from her Allen apartment complex.
"Although I had income coming in, I still find myself in between, still trying to live and still trying to produce."
The North Texas mom explained that she contacted several veterans groups that would only help find a homeless shelter, something she couldn't accept for her two teenagers and seven-year-old daughter.
The situation weighed heavy on the little girl. "I was very worried," Jasmine Hall-Gordon admitted. "Because I don't know how we were supposed to survive."
Nekima Booker heads the Veterans Coalition of North Central Texas. She was able to come up with the relatively small $800 that allowed the veteran to move back home.
Booker went into action, contacting any and everyone. "I said look we have a crisis here. Do you really want to put a veteran out on the street?"
The gift was almost more than Gordon could bear. "This is the best Veterans Day I've ever had," she said.
While Gordon got emergency assistance, it's not always available to those who served and are struggling.
Her thank you card to Booker was a family photo. It said, "I want you to see the face of the family you've been able to help."
While the VA helps returning soldiers with their medical needs there is a shortage of groups that offer financial aid, even small amounts that can avoid heartbreaking evictions like this one.
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