Our program featured Brooke Mitman, who serves as a House Manager for the Valor Clinic Foundation. The organization is currently housing 13 homeless Veterans in Paul’s House which is the renovated Hotel Jonas in Kunkletown. She introduced Norm Hannah who is the Community Outreach Manager for Valor. He explained how Valor started in 2012 when a retired Army officer became frustrated with the lack of response when he needed help from the VA. The officer worked at a church food pantry where he noticed a lot of homeless Vets and he decided to do something about it.
He helped to create the Paul’s House Sanctuary where Vets can receive free room and board for up to one year. People who leave the program receive assistance in finding suitable housing and furniture. A support group known as Veterans Unstoppable uses trained group facilitators to guide discussions leading to discovery, problem resolution, and improved personal communication skills. The second phase of support is held in a re treat setting where each person is counseled on how to examine their own past and develop an empowering self-made plan for the future.
The Holiday Meals program provides food at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter to families that are struggling financially. The resilient Warrior program assists Vets to maintain a normal lifestyle in the face of adverse life conditions. This no cost program helps with the necessary paperwork to access care and benefits from Federal, State, and local resources. The Hope for the Homeless program assists Vets through outreach, monthly Stand Down events, and relocation moves. Valor relies heavily on volunteer labor to take care of maintenance, cooking, sorting clothing, delivering furniture, and housekeeping.
Volunteers are even enlisted to teach fly fishing. They accept donations of furniture, linens, and kitchen items. When donating food, they suggest pull top cans, foil pouches, and jarred items such as peanut butter. A lot is asked of those who serve. Too often they are forgotten when they return home. Statistics show that an average of 22 Veterans per day commit suicide. The Valor Clinic Foundation is doing their best to give Vets a hand up on the home front.