CHESAPEAKE, Va. — U.S. Air Force veteran Scott Wright joined the military to follow in the footsteps of others in his family. He said while he served he was able to find community.
"You know, you had more friends than you knew what to do with," he said.
But after he left the Air Force, things changed.
"One day I started getting a headache that just wouldn't go away," said Wright. "Eventually they ended up calling in a wellness check on me because I hadn't been to work in a while. The police showed up and took me to the hospital. Come to find out I had a mini stroke. Found out I was a diabetic; found out I had Afib, and I spent eight days in the hospital. But when I got out I didn't have anywhere to go. I ended up on the streets."
He's not the only veteran in our area who has experienced homelessness.
"There's all kinds of people who are out there for various reasons. Some of it's bad things. Some of it is just hard times," said Wright.
More than 1,000 veterans in Virginia and North Carolina are without a home according to 2022 National HUD data. This year more than one million veterans across the country live in poverty and nearly 70,000 veterans are without a home, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report.
"We have a waiting list of hundreds of veterans looking for housing," said April Freeman, community resource specialist for Cypress Landing/Cedar Grove through Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation.
Freeman said the VBCDC runs two veteran apartment complexes - one in Virginia Beach and one in Chesapeake that each have roughly 50 permanent affordable units, but they're in need of more housing, especially as homes in the area become more expensive.
"That right there tells you the magnitude of the situation," added Freeman.
Wright's once again surrounded by a community since he moved into the apartment complex in Chesapeake.
"This place has been great for me," said Wright. "We got people who work in the offices who would do anything for you. They make you feel appreciated, accepted."
The biggest moment, he said, was when he got the keys.
"I was so relieved. Safe. When you're out there on the streets anything can happen - fights - people fighting over things, fighting over spots. The littlest things. You come in here, you walk in, lock your door, turn on lights. I know I wasn't out there long, but it had an impact on me," said Wright.
Since he moved in, he found a job and reconnected with his family in North Carolina.
And he added if you're walking by someone experiencing homelessness there's always ways to show you care.
"Even saying 'hello' to them. Instead of just walking past, saying 'hello,' because people when they're out there, you start feeling distance," said Wright.
Those with the VBCDC help connect veterans with resources and stay self-sufficient. Freeman said they're always looking for people to collaborate with on the housing aspect — whether they are landlords or have rooms to rent.
