{"id":393903,"date":"2025-03-19T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=393903"},"modified":"2025-03-19T16:10:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T16:10:33","slug":"former-homeless-veteran-connects-others-with-temporary-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=393903","title":{"rendered":"Former homeless Veteran connects others with temporary housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Veterans facing homelessness can find more than a safe place to sleep at YWCA Gateway Independence facility in Providence, Rhode Island. They can also find invaluable advice and support from someone who\u2019s been in their shoes.<\/p>\n

Army Veteran Mike McRae once lived at Gateway to Independence. Now, he\u2019s the YWCA director of Veterans affairs, where he remains ready to help other Veterans navigate their way back from homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a way out. There is a way up. It\u2019s a marathon. You have to take it day by day and sometimes even break the day up hour by hour and minute by minute,\u201d McRae shared.<\/p>\n

Rewarding military service<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

McRae\u2019s military career began when his father, a Vietnam War Veteran, died in 1989. It was McRae\u2019s first year of college and he decided to join the Army both for financial reasons and to honor his father\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n

This time was unbelievably rewarding for him. McRae said he fit more into his two years of service than he thought possible, including playing on military sports teams and having a chance to meet other soldiers from around the country. Most notably, he served on a humanitarian mission to Florida after Hurricane Andrew and loaded tanks onto rail lines in Germany during the first Gulf War.<\/p>\n

But he also brought back one unwanted souvenir from Europe: a problem with alcohol.<\/p>\n

Searching for security<\/h2>\n

Feeling adrift after he was discharged, McRae moved in with his stepmother and secured a job in sales. His issues with alcohol would keep him from finding steady work or securing a place to live for many years.<\/p>\n

He moved 40 times in a five-year period, sleeping in attics, basements, couches and even in an acquaintance\u2019s child\u2019s outdoor playhouse in exchange for $1 a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I learned, alcoholism is a symptom of deeper issues. I was kind of always lost. Alcohol became my medication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He worked throughout this tumultuous period and was always resourceful enough to find somewhere to stay, but would eventually wear out his welcome because of his drinking.<\/p>\n

Reaching out for help<\/h2>\n

In 2005, McRae decided enough was enough. He began having suicidal thoughts and, as a last-ditch effort, sought help at VA.<\/p>\n

He was immediately connected with services, starting with 35 days of inpatient treatment at Homes for the Brave, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing housing and services to individuals experiencing homelessness, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

But it was hard to stop drinking. When he left Homes for the Brave he started up again.<\/p>\n

After a stint at Soldier On, a private nonprofit organization committed to ending Veteran homelessness, a case worker at Northampton VA connected McRae with Gateway to Independence. He stayed there for nine months, then segued into a job working in VA primary care for eight years.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t entirely smooth sailing after that. He came back to Gateway to Independence twice more and, after his last stay in 2018, was offered a part-time job. He was soon promoted to full-time and then offered the vacant director position two years ago.<\/p>\n

In this role he is committed to making Gateway to Independence the preeminent facility funded by VA\u2019s Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program<\/a>. The facility was recently renovated, so all rooms are now private and the team is working toward taking a more holistic therapeutic approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone wants to make Gateway the best it can be. It\u2019s exciting. I\u2019m challenged every day,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n

Learn about VA programs\u00a0<\/h2>\n