Veterans Grove

When the red, white and blue ribbon fluttered to the ground over the fresh concrete and fragile new sprouts of grass at Veterans Grove in south Harrisburg last year, it felt like Christmas, a birthday and a graduation all in one.

After more than three years of planning, fundraising, outreach and construction, Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania (VOPA) and their “village” of supporters arrived at this moment of celebration and fresh beginnings in May 2024.

 Enthusiastic supporters at our ribbon-cutting approached us to exclaim, “You did it!”

But our team was always quick to answer: “We’ve only just begun.” For us, success and celebration would come later.

Yes, we partnered with the community to build a village of 15 tiny homes and a beautiful 6,500 square-foot community center when many thought our vision was an impossible dream, but now the real work to address the root causes of veteran homelessness loomed before us.

We were all acutely aware that moving veterans from homelessness to independence, following our unique, evidence-based four-step therapeutic community model, was a daunting challenge.  Erecting walls for tiny homes is not easy, but it is far easier than tearing down the walls our veterans have erected after years of trauma and suffering.

On Tuesday, June 10, we celebrated our one-year anniversary. We did so with our Veterans Grove staff and participants, along with food trucks, relay races, a barbecue with our board members as grillmasters, and a shared outpouring of pride in each other. We are thrilled to report that we have several graduates already and many grateful veterans who have received a second chance.

On our anniversary, we will salute our veterans, who have shown remarkable resilience and dedication. Throughout their stay, veterans pay nothing, thanks to continuous donor support that we will continue to rely on in the years to come.

During Phase 1, our veteran participants commit to the foundation of orientation, personal growth, stability and recovery. They also work on nutrition, health care, sleep and other basic needs. Many get a good night’s sleep and regular meals for the first time in years.

Progress will earn them a promotion to Phase 2—the Transformation Phase. Here, the clinical VOPA team creates an Individual Service Plan with the veteran, and they dig deeper into their healing journey, addressing the root causes of their struggles and working closely with their peers and staff to build a stronger, more resilient self.

They are focused on healing past wounds and preparing for the ultimate goal of independence in the larger community.

The third phase involves career growth and finding meaningful employment. Many of our community partners have even offered jobs to our veterans when they complete their journey here.

The fourth and final phase involves independence and graduation, and a new home off-site. It is our hope that they return occasionally to mentor the veterans who follow.

Because we are dealing with the complexities of humanity, the process is not always perfect–or pretty–and the progress is sometimes one step forward, two steps back.

We see that some of our veterans are weighed down by military service, substance dependence, mental health struggles, isolation, the lack of internal support, and the trauma of homelessness.  Fortunately, they are surrounded by a community of veterans who understand the unique struggles they face. They find solace and support. The compassionate staff, many of whom are veterans themselves, help the veterans confront the emotional scars of the past.

Many veterans admit that they did not realize how much trauma they were carrying until they got here.

On our one-year anniversary, we want to share the impact our community supporters have made, and offer gratitude that defies measurement.

We protect the identity of our veterans zealously, so we share these quotes from them without attribution, but with universal application to our successes:

• “Prior to coming to Veterans Grove, I felt lost. Being around veteran brothers has helped me find myself again. I have a purpose again.”
• “No one cares about Veterans more than VOPA.”
• “It’s a godsend, a life-changing program, if you take it seriously enough. VOPA has structure for veterans to do things to benefit me, to empower us and get life skills.”
• “Veterans Grove has given me a roof over my head when I really needed one. It has taught me how to get along with others.”
• “VOPA is a place which gave me a home with other veterans until I find my new permanent housing.”
• “VOPA is helping me get back on track. It is allowing me to be able to focus on my needs, such as my physical health, mental health, and personal issues.”
• “For me, it was a sense of preparing me to return to the outside, such as making a concrete structure, how to relate to positive people. I’ve been able to have free time to process what our meetings were about, and most of all, the staff were sincere and showed great concern about our well-being, and helping us moving forward.”

We will never stop thanking all those who have helped us thank our veterans, who can never be fully repaid for their willingness to lay down their lives for others and a cause larger than themselves.

As we move into our second year, we ask you to please follow us on Facebook and our other social media platforms, check out our website at www.veteransoutreachofpa.org, and know that you have made a difference in the lives of those who have literally made a world of difference. Now more than ever, VOPA needs your support to help us continue raising funds for our daily operations.

With your help, those who have fought for our freedom are now reclaiming it for themselves, along the scenic banks of the Susquehanna River, in a tiny home that carries big hopes and dreams for healing.

As one of our staff members said, “These veterans are my heroes. I am proud of each and every one of them. Watching their journeys unfold is one of the greatest honors of my life […] Here, when one of us laughs, we all laugh. When one of us hurts, we all feel it. And when one of us takes a step forward, we all move with them. That’s the essence of brotherhood and sisterhood. That’s the community our veterans have created.”

Tom Zimmerman is the co-founder of Veterans Outreach of PA.

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