Raymond Murtha still remembers well his interactions with a young veteran and father who found himself behind on rent while trying to launch his small business.
Facing an eviction notice and unsure of how he would be able to care for his young daughter, the veteran found his way to Murtha, who serves as an outreach case worker with a focus on Camden and Gloucester Counties for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program through Catholic Charities of South Jersey.
“When we first spoke, he told me how much it meant just to have someone to listen – someone who made him feel seen,” Murtha recalled. “We were able to confirm his eligibility for our program and, with the help of my supervisor and colleague, assisted him in finding a new home and securing the deposit through SSVF funding. It’s moments like these that remind me why this work is so meaningful.”
Supportive Services for Veteran Families, or SSVF, aims to provide housing stability for low-income, at-risk and homeless veterans. Murtha and his colleagues identify eligible veterans, provide education about available resources and guide them through the process.
“The work our SSVF team does is incredibly important because it directly supports veterans who are experiencing one of life’s most difficult challenges – housing instability,” he said. “These are men and women who have served our nation, and too often, they feel forgotten or abandoned once their service ends. We aim to restore a sense of dignity, stability and community, not just for the veterans themselves, but for their families as well.”
This vital work is supported through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Catholic Charities of South Jersey was among the first agencies to be awarded SSVF grant funding when it was initiated in Fiscal Year 2012. This year, the Catholic Charities of South Jersey program received $2.7 million in funding.
“This is truly a wonderful program that focuses on an individual’s needs to start anew and do so successfully,” said Susan Stephens, who serves as the program coordinator. “I have many veterans in my own family, but it never occurred to me that they endured things, saw things that we never have to experience. It lends credence to ‘America, home of the free because of the brave.’”
She noted that the transition to civilian life can be extremely difficult for some veterans, and that the housing shortage as well as increasing housing costs have served to make that even harder for many.
“First and foremost, we get veterans out of any dangerous situation they may be exposed to if living ‘on the streets’, get them to safety, and begin the longer-term permanent housing plan,” Stephens explained. “The grant makes it possible for us to pay a security deposit, utility deposit, provide some household furnishings, and [offer] rental assistance so that the veteran has a place to call home.”
The funding also supports broader wraparound services for veterans, including emotional support, mental health and medical referrals, legal assistance and connections to employment training.
“Very often, communities will partner with us, offering the supportive services that a veteran needs to reach their housing stability plan goals,” Stephens said.
Like Murtha, Stephens has also been personally impacted by the opportunity to support veterans returning to their home communities. She recalls a text message from a veteran she helped, thanking her for listening to his story; a card in the mail thanking her for changing someone’s life; and an invitation from a veteran to visit his apartment to see his new furniture.
Experiences like these drive her entire team, she said, and on any given day, members of that team are hard at work across South Jersey.
“Outreach staff is in the community finding homeless veterans, finding resources; our housing specialist is working with landlords to find a first-level apartment for a disabled veteran, and reviewing a lease with a veteran; our healthcare navigator may be searching for a rehabilitation facility or arranging transportation; and our case managers may be meeting with a veteran for a needs assessment, reviewing the housing stability plan or dropping off gift cards that were donated for our veterans,” she said. “And that is the reason the SSVF program changes lives.”
Brian Wagner serves as an outreach case worker, and currently works in Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic and Cape May Counties. As a veteran himself, the cause hits close to home.
“Most veterans are proud, sometimes so proud that they don’t want to ask for help. Even if it means enduring stress, anxiety, and other hardships, they won’t seek help,” he said. “Finding them and being able to reduce or eliminate those conditions is a blessing to them and their families. When people ask what I do, I often reply, ‘I get paid to do God’s work.’”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
