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Washington, DC—Ronald Lewter, a veteran who is now an AmeriCorps member serving with U.S. VETS, will spend Veterans Day serving lunch to homeless veterans gathered at Central Union Mission, 1350 R St., NW. on Nov. 10.
Lewter, who is based at the South Baltimore Station program, has been providing alcohol and drug counseling to veterans for two years. The Veterans Day lunch he leads is a holiday salute to Americans who despite having served their country are now living on the street. Nationally, one-third of all homeless men are veterans, including an estimated 5,000 veterans in the Washington area.
Joining Lewter in serving lunch to homeless veterans will be the U.S. VETS AmeriCorps team, numerous military retirees and several veterans who are participating in US VETS programs for homeless veterans. The program, including lunch, will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 13 AmeriCorps members serving with U.S. VETS-DC have reached out to more than 1,000 homeless veterans in the past year, helping them to take their next steps to independent living through outreach, referral, and case management. This year, 116 homeless veterans have found permanent housing and more than 500 are in transitional programs. More than 200 have taken the next step toward independent living by enrolling in job training or going back to work.
In addition to Friday’s lunch, the AmeriCorps members will join community volunteers and U.S. VETS staff from 8 to 11 a.m., Saturday, November 11, to prepare a pancake breakfast for formerly homeless veterans housed at the U.S. VETS Ignatia House Permanent Housing Program, on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Northwest Washington.
U.S. VETS, a public-private collaboration, is the largest organization in the country dedicated to helping homeless veterans and a nationally recognized leader in the field of service delivery to veterans. The organization serves many of the nation’s 200,000 homeless veterans.
AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America. The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.
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