{"id":430799,"date":"2025-04-30T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=430799"},"modified":"2025-04-30T15:30:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T15:30:31","slug":"formerly-homeless-navy-veteran-dedicates-his-time-to-serving-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=430799","title":{"rendered":"Formerly homeless Navy Veteran dedicates his time to serving others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether he\u2019s picking up prescriptions and groceries for his neighbors or working at Goodwill, Navy Veteran Philip Lord is happiest when he can be of service.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s why Lord, who was on the verge of homelessness just a few years ago, is dedicating his second act to helping others.<\/p>\n

The son of an Air Force Veteran, Lord joined the Navy in 1975 because he felt it was his duty to serve. But it was also a way to plan for his future. He intended to eventually use his military benefits to buy a house, go to school and get routine health care.<\/p>\n

Before he could, Lord\u2019s future took a turn that he couldn\u2019t have predicted. During a drunken bar fight, a woman was killed. As a result, Lord went to prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was guilty, so there was no reason to fight it,\u201d shared Lord. \u201cI did my time like I was supposed to. Getting out was the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navigating a new landscape<\/h2>\n

The world changed during the nearly 40 years that Lord was in prison. Everyone now had slim laptops on their desks and smartphones in their hands\u2014things he couldn\u2019t have dreamed of when he went to prison in 1985.<\/p>\n

Halfway houses for the recently incarcerated also changed during that time. They charged more than he could afford, didn\u2019t provide food and didn\u2019t allow him to stay between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for VA, I\u2019d probably still be in jail,\u201d said Lord.<\/p>\n

Luckily, Lord had somewhere to turn.<\/p>\n

While in prison, he had learned about VA\u2019s homeless programs during monthly Veteran meetings, so he was ready to go right into housing when he was released in 2022.<\/p>\n

Finding a place to call home<\/h2>\n

Lord was placed in temporary housing at the Coatesville VA Medical Center<\/a>. Not long after, he was hired on as a housekeeper and then as a residential assistant. He later found an apartment through the HUD-VA Supporting Housing (HUD-VASH) program<\/a> and moved there in March 2024.<\/p>\n

A recent stroke has slowed him down some, but Lord doesn\u2019t let it stop him from helping his neighbors or going to his job at Goodwill.<\/p>\n

Though he\u2019ll help with anything, saying no task is too big or too small, Lord\u2019s favorite part is working alongside employees with disabilities. Growing up with a brother with Down Syndrome, Lord knows that those living with developmental or physical disabilities just \u201cwant to be treated like a regular person.\u201d<\/p>\n

With ongoing support from VA\u2014including a substance abuse counselor, a caseworker and VA doctors\u2014his odds of remaining successfully housed and employed are high.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got nothing but support,\u201d said Lord, advising fellow Veterans to turn to VA if they\u2019re ever facing homelessness. \u201cThere are always representatives who can help you. There\u2019s always someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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