Taking the compassionate approach of Fighting Homelessness Not The Homeless.

In the United States our soldiers take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. There’s a sacred commitment and well known saying in the military “no man left behind”, meaning no soldier is to be left behind on the battlefield. However, when soldiers come back to their home country the message is hardly reciprocated. A staggering 8-11% of the total adult homeless population in the United States are Veterans. Texas is among the biggest populations of unsheltered Veterans right behind California, and including Florida and Washington. Our Veterans protected our constitutional rights and freedoms, and it’s our goal to return the favor. Project TACOM shall provide housing to the homeless

In 2020, 580,466 people are without shelter in the United States, and about 8-11% of the homeless population are Veterans. Veterans make up about 6-8% of the entire United States Population, and 8-11% of the homeless population. In Texas, there are 25,848 people experiencing homelessness, roughly 8% (2,067) of the homeless population are located in Texas and are Veterans.

According to va.gov about one third of the Veterans experiencing homelessness became homeless within two years of leaving the military service.

Shelters and some current programs only serve as a temporary solution to the problem of homelessness. Providing housing (in rare cases), and more often temporary relief in the form of coffee, a meal, and clothing.

Take A Chance On ME (TACOM) creates a program to help homeless Veterans re-enter society. This can be accomplished by providing temporary or permanent housing in conjunction with a program to help struggling individuals find jobs or apprenticeships, (partly subsidized by the city), so that in a fixed period of time, they will be able to support themselves without government assistance and start contributing to society in a productive way.

Taking the compassionate approach of fighting homelessness not the homeless, we have a moral obligation to help the less fortunate get back on their feet. The three things needed for that are: housing, detox (if necessary), and a job opportunity.
It is not feasible for any person to get a decent job that enables them to support themselves if they do not have a place to shower, wash their clothes, store their belongings, cook a meal, etc. For those individuals experiencing substance abuse problems, T.A.C.O.M. would help provide a safe and comfortable place to detox.

A program like this would require the help and support of the business community, the faith community, private non-profit organizations, and city-affiliated nonprofits, with direction from the City Homeless Strategy Officer and City Manager. This program could provide an invaluable opportunity for Veterans that are homeless now but don’t wish to remain so. There are so many people out there who just need to catch a break—who need someone to take a chance on them.