Tag: veterans

Categories
Living

Yoga reconnects veterans with their inner warriors

FlyDog Yoga studio, co-owned by Brad Whiteman, will start offering Warrior for Life classes next month. The classes are tailored to the needs of veterans, active-duty military personnel and first-responders. Photo by Natalie Jacobsen

When veterans and first responders look for therapy and support to get them through their day-to-day lives, yoga is not typically the first thing that comes to mind. But a recovery program at FlyDog Yoga is shifting that perspective.

Brad and Eliza Whiteman founded FlyDog Yoga in 2014, focusing on vinyasa power yoga as Eliza is a formerly trained Baptiste teacher. After serving 10 years of active duty in the U.S. Army as a special forces officer, Brad noticed that he had developed a short temper and his body was acting much older than it should; stresses that he attributes to his time in the military. He began regularly practicing yoga, and quickly noticed a dramatic improvement in his body, mind and spirit. He knew healing through yoga would be invaluable to other veterans working through their own transitions into civilian life. In 2016, the yogi duo offered complimentary Warrior for Life classes to former and current military personnel. Starting next month, FlyDog Yoga will offer veteran and current military-only and first responder-only classes to help put people on a better path to recovery.

The reality for many veterans includes post-traumatic stress disorder, injuries, regular visits to Veterans Affairs and a loss of brotherhood and sisterhood. The FlyDog program focuses on integrating veterans back into society while highlighting physical, mental and emotional health.

The goal of the class is to “loosen up the body and bring a new awareness of body and breath,” according to the class description. Vinyasa power yoga is a more taxing, strength-building type of practice that promotes introspective healing, and the classes are geared toward trauma-sensitive techniques, including not walking behind the students or using touch adjustments, to make students feel more comfortable.

Before finding yoga, Brad Whiteman says veterans often try other therapies or use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate after returning to civilian life. He says many of his students come to that first yoga class only because they feel like they’ve run out of options.

“When I first started, the idea of closing my eyes and meditating…I wasn’t ready
to spend that much time alone with my thoughts,” says Rob Plagmann, a former United States Marine Corps officer and FlyDog Yoga student.

Shane Dennis is also a FlyDog student and veteran, who was in the same special forces unit as Whiteman. He found yoga as a way to beat the depression he felt after leaving the tight-knit Army community.

“That physical and mental challenge is what’s going to inspire and motivate and ignite them onto a new, better path,” Whiteman says. “You’re coming in here, you’re taking care of yourself, you’re taking steps to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and now it’s our responsibility to reach out and strongly encourage those that aren’t taking those same steps for themselves.”

Plagmann began his yoga recovery as one of Eliza Whiteman’s students and continued to attend her classes since she was the one he trusted most with his story.

“I’ll never forget that first class,” Plagmann says. “I had a couple of moments of just absolute stillness in my mind, and I made a choice to believe that was possible on a much larger scale.”

His experience with FlyDog inspired him to make other changes, such as becoming a volunteer yoga instructor for veterans in northern Virginia. Before finding his solace and strength in a yoga studio, Plagmann was an active-duty Marine who struggled with addiction, and he says he was on the brink of suicide. He tells his students to contact him any time of day because he knows exactly what runs through their minds.

“I know how scary it is to be okay with the idea that you’re going to take your own life,” Plagmann says. “A lot of these veterans haven’t taken the opportunity to trust anybody, and I’m going to put myself in that position of trust and in a position of leadership, even if it’s just as a yoga instructor.”

The Whitemans hope FlyDog Yoga’s Warrior for Life program continues to grow, because they know the benefits of establishing diverse, supportive networks for the veteran, current military and first-responder community. “With yoga in particular, sometimes you only get one chance with people,” Whiteman says.

Categories
Real Estate

Veterans Calling Central Virginia Home: Initiatives to Help Veterans Buy Homes

They served us bravely, and so we thank them. Having defended our homeland, they deserve to own their own homes, and happily there is help available to make that easier. Established in 1930 but carrying on work dating back to the Revolutionary War, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs supports service members, veterans, and surviving spouses in myriad ways, and since 1944 one big one has been to assist them in becoming homeowners. But for post-911 veterans who have suffered severe injuries and are now looking for suitable housing, the picture is even better. The national non-profit organization Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) builds mortgage-free, specially adapted homes nationwide for severely injured post–9/11 veterans.

U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs
For veterans who meet its length of service requirements, the U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs makes possible extraordinarily generous loans and payment terms: no down payment, no mortgage insurance, and limited closing costs. “As far as low or no down payment programs go, I would put the VA at the top of the list,” says Movement Mortgage Loan Officer Jay Domenic. “The typical veteran has VA eligibility, which makes them eligible for 100% financing.” The VA itself doesn’t actually issue the loans; those are provided by private lenders like banks and mortgage companies. What the VA does is to guarantee a portion of the loan, allowing the lenders to offer the most favorable terms. VA-assisted loans do come with a guarantee fee—a percentage of the loan amount—but the fee can be financed (and is waived for veterans with service-connected disabilities). For first time users of the VA entitlement, the fee is just 2.15 percent.

A VA-guaranteed loan can be used to purchase an existing home or to pay for a newly constructed one, as long as the home will be the veteran’s primary residence. It can also be used to refinance an existing loan. The process is remarkably fast Domenic says, “we can typically close a VA loan in 30 days.”

Homes For Our Troops
Marine Corporal Kevin Blanchard endured over 30 surgeries, including several blood transfusions, after losing his left leg and sustaining serious injury to his right from a roadside bomb while on patrol in Iraq. For his service Blanchard earned a Purple Heart—and a new home in Crozet, thanks to Homes For Our Troops. Since its establishment in 2004 in Taunton, Massachusetts, the private non-profit foundation has provided mortgage-free homes for 225 veterans in 41 different states. Twenty-eight more homes are currently under construction, and over 50 more are already in the pipeline. Here in the Commonwealth, 14 homes have been completed, and two more are under construction.

Most HFOT recipients have sustained severe injuries, and live with after-effects like single or multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). HFOT homes are intended to restore some of the physical freedom and independence these warriors sacrificed on their country’s behalf.

To that end, HFOT works with local contractors to build one-level, 2,700-square foot homes, with features customized for each individual veteran. Over 40 major special adaptations are available to choose from. Hardwood floors, wide doorways and hallways, automatic doors and roll-in showers, for example, allow for ease of access, while roll-under countertops let wheelchair users work at the countertop without being obstructed by cabinets. Pull down shelving eliminates the need to reach up high or climb, reducing the risk of falling from a wheelchair.

While HFOT homes are mortgage-free, the organization applies ten-year liens to protect its donors and corporate partners. After five years, however, veterans begin building equity in the home, and after year ten it is entirely theirs. Each home is fully warrantied, and HFOT will fix most problems that might occur. Veterans themselves are responsible only for routine maintenance, taxes and general upkeep. HFOT’s thorough review and vetting process ensure they are prepared for the financial aspect of home-ownership, while providing them with sound financial advice.

“I heard about Homes For Our Troops through a friend and fellow Veteran I recovered with at Walter Reed Hospital,” Blanchard says. “He received a home several years ago and kept telling me I should apply. At the time, I didn’t think I would qualify and wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility of home ownership until recently.”

When Blanchard began researching the program three years ago, he found it typically takes two to four years for applicants to receive homes. “I called HFOT and explained my situation,” he says. “They did a background check on my personal life, military retiree status, and personal finances.” A year after Blanchard completed his application, HFOT invited him to their annual conference, to give him a better understanding of the process. He was accepted into the program the following week.

Work has now begun on Blanchard’s L-shaped, one-floor ranch house, two-car garage, and back porch. It has been a community effort. REALTOR® Kathy Hall with Loring Woodriff Real Estate Associates was “instrumental,” Blanchard says, in helping him and his wife Myra find a lot to build on, in the Westlake development in Crozet. “We chose the Charlottesville area to be close to our family, and to enjoy the outdoors, and because Myra works for UVA. We chose Crozet because of its community-focused culture.”

CAAR Helps
Serving more than 1,000 real estate professionals and affiliate members throughout the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson, the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR)  is committed not only to its members but to their communities. “CAAR has been incredible in building awareness among its members, in encouraging support and individual contributions beyond its organizational gift, and in facilitating awareness around the community,” says Bill White, 2016 President of the Virginia Association of REALTORS. “It has been a champion of the relationship with Homes For Our Troops at every level.”

“CAAR helped spread the word about the program, and became a regional partner,” Blanchard says. Investing in partnerships, investing in communities, is “part and parcel,” White says, of what REALTORS® do. 

Categories
News

House calls: Finding shelter for local homeless vets

Caleb Fox works at The Haven to get veterans housed. eze amos

It’s been almost one year since Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia was the first state in the U.S. to functionally end homelessness among veterans—and while it may not seem that way when residents drive through Charlottesville and see people begging, evolving housing programs are having positive effects on the city and surrounding counties.

Partnerships between Veterans Affairs medical centers, programs that support veterans families and local homeless organizations such as The Haven continue to piece together a complex, and often sensitive, puzzle.

Functionally ending homelessness does not mean it is eradicated. It means programs are in place to ensure a veteran’s experience with homelessness now—or in the future—will be “rare, brief and non-recurring,” according to McAuliffe. Rapid Re-Housing and Homelessness Prevention are two examples of programs available.

The Haven is often considered the homeless point of entry in Charlottesville and its five surrounding counties: Greene, Nelson, Fluvanna, Louisa and Albemarle.

Situated in a former multi-story church donated by Evan Almighty director and UVA alum Tom Shadyac on the corner of East Market and First Street North, The Haven has been addressing the needs of the area’s homeless community since opening its doors in 2010.

Caleb Fox, veterans case manager for The Haven, says the change towards housing programs has been monumental.

“The Rapid Re-Housing program is based on this notion of housing first,” says Fox. “In the last three years the approach to homelessness has really shifted on its head. It used to be getting folks into a shelter, addressing their physical and mental health, substance abuse, income issues and then getting them into a house. Now it’s get them into housing and then working on the other things through individual case management.”

Former Charlottesville mayor Dave Norris is another influential figure in the fight against chronic homelessness. During his time in office from 2008 to 2011, he was instrumental in getting The Crossings—a permanent supportive housing community for formerly homeless people—funded, developed and officially launched. He’s witnessed firsthand the changes to the system.

“There’s been this real focus nationally of addressing homelessness,” Norris says. “The consensus was that we were doing a decent job of putting a Band-Aid on homelessness, but not doing a very good job of actually ending it.”

He attributes a lot of the progress in reducing veteran homelessness to the Rapid Re-Housing thrust. “We saw a considerable increase in both state and federal resources that funneled through organizations such as The Haven and others,” says Norris.

The increased funding for these programs is based on statistical data, says Fox. Evidence suggests that getting someone off the street and into a stable situation generates better outcomes—and there are only slight differences between the programs for vets and non-vets.

The VA-funded Rapid Re-Housing program is more time-limited, providing a maximum of nine months of rental assistance, compared with two years for non-veterans, says Fox.

Since 2015, Fox says 54 veterans from the Charlottesville area have been enrolled in vet programs. He estimates the local homeless population at 185 to 220 people, which means about a quarter of them are veterans. Of the 54 veterans, 13 were enrolled in the Supportive Service for Veterans Families Homeless Prevention Program, which is intended for people who are not homeless but are imminently at risk, and the remaining 41 vets were enrolled in the SSVF Rapid Re-Housing program.

Fox says the support service programs spent approximately $79,000 to assist 24 veterans in these two programs with security deposits, rental assistance, utilities and deposits, transportation costs and moving expenses.

For the 30 remaining veterans, some decided to leave the area. Others declined services. Fox says he continues to work with the veterans who have not yet been housed to address any barriers they might have, including criminal background or credit issues.

“The goal the VA has set is that it’s a handup, and not a handout,” Fox says. “We send veterans on their way once they are in a stabilized situation, and ready to pay their own housing costs.”

While the need and desire for more funding are ever-present worries, he credits the increased focus on veterans over the past several years for some of the positive changes across the nation.

“Officials have spent a lot of money since the start of the Obama administration to address veteran homelessness, and it’s working,” says Fox.

Norris concurs that the cooperation across party lines really propelled the fight into the national spotlight. Getting vets into homes was a rallying point in Washington, and beyond.

“The least we can do is make sure our men and women who served this country in uniform never find themselves out on the streets,” Norris says. “In a city like this, in a state like this… we are showing that we can honor that commitment.”