U.S. Vets, the largest veteran organization in the country, has given one formerly homeless veteran a present he won't soon forget.
Vietnam veteran Steve Doloresco, of Las Vegas, who was reportedly homeless earlier this year, was given a new car.
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"I was absolutely floored. It gave me a new freedom that I hadn't had in quite a while," Doloresco told Fox 32 Chicago.
U.S. Vets has also provided Doloresco with a job, food and shelter, plus a new bankcard and ID.
Everything he'd previously owned was stolen on the streets, the station noted.
"I'm indebted to them. The only thing I did was stick out my hand and ask for help. And they were there every inch of the way," he said.
"Eight years ago he was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer and given 30 days to live," U.S. Vets Las Vegas executive director Shalimar Cabrera said. "Earlier this year, he found himself homeless, had lost everything with no place to go. Fortunately, he was able to get to the VA hospital here in Las Vegas and they referred him to our transitional housing program."
According to the U.S. Vets website, nearly 38,000 veterans experience homelessness, accounting for approximately 9% of all homeless adults.
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The organization supports more than 20,000 veterans each year, providing 416,564 bed nights at U.S. Vets locations and 57,504 counseling sessions.
More than 477,000 meals have been served at U.S. Vets mess halls, and there have been 2,598 permanent housing placements and 1,168 job placements.
U.S. Vets has locations in Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, California, Nevada and Washington, D.C.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, as of 2017, there were an estimated 553,742 people experiencing homelessness on a given night.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said an estimated 37,252 veterans were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2020, according to a count by Housing and Urban Development.
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Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 424-3838 for assistance.
Homeless and at-risk veterans who do not have access to a phone or the internet may visit their closest VA medical center.