Lifesaving housing programs put Veteran on the path to a permanent home

Jay Walker joined the military to outrun drug dealers and a broken heart. While that may sound like the start of a compelling novel, it’s the true story of Walker’s life.

He never suspected that the benefits he received through this decision would be lifesaving, helping him overcome homelessness, health issues and a substance use disorder.

Despite these ups and downs, Walker has maintained a positive, forthright attitude as he waits to move into permanent housing through the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program.

“It’s OK to not to be OK sometimes,” he shared. “Just don’t live there. Don’t give yourself permission to set up an address there. After a little while, come on back and deal with it.”

Overcoming obstacles

Following in the footsteps of family members, Walker joined the Army in 1979. He already struggled with substance use—having been court-ordered into recovery as a teenager—but he thought the military might be a better solution.

He never quite meshed with the Army way of life, though, labeling himself “a civilian in uniform,” and he left after three years. Though his sobriety remained tenuous, a period of stability followed. Over the next decade, he worked in social services, reunited with an ex-girlfriend and started a family.

The death of his youngest son in the 1990s turned his world upside down.

Soon after, Walker relapsed and had his first brush with homelessness. Living a “vagabond lifestyle,” Walker ended up at the Good News Rescue Mission in Redding, California, and gave recovery another try. This time, it clicked.

“I could put together my faith walk and my recovery walk in a single tapestry, and it worked,” he said. He found his calling, serving as an elder in his church and connecting others with recovery programs.

Suffering a setback

After being sober for 17 years and 7 months, Walker found himself with a few dollars in his pocket and an urge to let loose. He spent a week drinking heavily and lost his housing once again.

Relocating to Sacramento to seek help, he spent his nights at the Union Gospel Mission Shelter and his days on the street or at the nearby Sacramento Loaves & Fishes. It was at Loaves & Fishes that Walker first connected with VA homeless programs through Nation’s Finest, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing through VA’s Grant and Per Diem program at the VA Northern California Healthcare System. He submitted an application.

Help was on the way, but it would come almost too late. Before Walker could hear back, the winter days on Sacramento’s streets caught up with him.

Helping hands

Already in poor health, Walker began having trouble breathing and was taken to the VA hospital by ambulance. He was admitted to the intensive care unit with pneumonia.

He recovered, but with nowhere to go during the day, he ended up right back in the hospital. In respiratory distress from double pneumonia, he was put in a medically induced coma. When he woke up, VA case worker Leah Reaves was by his side, ready to get his transitional housing application processed in time for when he left the hospital.

Because Walker was discharged directly to transitional housing, he was in a better place when VA providers discovered he had congestive heart failure and a faulty valve that would require open heart surgery.

Walker is feeling better, though he jokes that he won’t be wrestling alligators anytime soon. He has now completed his HUD-VASH application and is waiting to find a permanent apartment.

Learn about VA programs 

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
• Visit VA Homeless Programs to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness. 
• Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
• Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.