We had a visitor at the Legion – a veteran, who was homeless. We directed him to the VOA, where he could get shelter in their Home for the Brave facility. Now, a year later, we are happy to report that he is doing well and giving back to the veteran community himself … the story below says it all…

Once-homeless vet helps others start over

AUDUBON – A homeless and divorced military retiree from Cherry Hill found himself living in a car and then a seedy motel until reluctantly landing at the Home of the Brave, a homeless shelter in Camden for veterans.

After getting rehired to his old job as a bartender at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Route 70, Fred Silhol was able to leave the shelter for an apartment in Audubon with the assistance of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, the Home of the Brave operator.

Excited to be in his own home again, the retired U.S. Army master sergeant wanted to cook dinner that first night but suddenly came to a balloon-bursting realization. He did not have a pot or pan, dish or cup, silverware, can opener or anything else to prepare a meal and eat it except for his stove.

Resolute, he scraped $50 together to buy some basic, but essential, items for his new home.

That gave Silhol the idea to pull together another apartment starter kit for a homeless veteran transitioning from a shelter to permanent housing.

The VOA accepted his donation and embraced the concept, creating a new program kicking off this month called ASK, the Apartment Starter Kit.

“I just wanted to give back something for what the VOA did for me and to help other veterans who may find themselves in the same predicament as I did when leaving the shelter,” said Silhol, 54, a who served as a paratrooper in both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and as a drill sergeant.

He also served in the 506th Infantry at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea and later was a member of the Old Guard, or 3rd Infantry Regiment, which provides presidential and other military honor guards and escorts in the Washington, D.C., area. He served with that regiment in Dijibouti, Africa.

“All I had when I moved to the apartment were my clothes, a few other personal items and my cat. If I had had a survival kit, it would have taken some of the stress out of the move,” the once homeless veteran said.

Rebecca Fuller, VOA communications director, said the starter kit is very practical and can help get someone’s life on a better path during the transition to permanent housing.

“The things in the kit most people take for granted, but they are an absolute necessity,” she said.

VOA is seeking donors to either stock a kit or donate $50 to enable VOA to buy the items.

“Fred and VOA are dedicated to giving hope to those who need it most. Whether it is a struggling veteran or single mother, something as simple as a small cash donation or a starter kit can turn a house into a home for those who are less fortunate,” Fuller said.

She said VOA plans to distribute the first kits next week when it is scheduled to transition several clients to permanent housing.

You can help someone in need as they transition into permanent housing. Just $50 provides an Apartment Starter Kit complete with all the necessary household goods. Read more about how this idea came to fruition and the background on the man who started it. Fred Silhol is a military veteran from Audubon, NJ. He served 20 years in the 82nd airborne division as a paratrooper serving in Korea and Germany. After retiring from the armed forces in 2006, Silhol was recruited a few years later to train soldiers and marines in defeating IEDs in Afghanistan. When his training contract ended, he returned to New Jersey, however with the high cost of living and a limited income, he found himself without a home or a helping hand. “There was no yellow ribbon when I came back. I thought I had enough money to survive, but soon the money ran out.” Silhol was able to live in a motel for a short period of time, but as funds quickly depleted, so did his options and he had no choice but to live in his car. “You never plan on living in your car. I had a cat, what’s the cat going to do? And little challenges, like where am I going to take a shower?” He reached out to several government agencies in hopes for assistance, but he claims it wasn’t until he was put in contact with Volunteers of America Delaware Valley (VOADV) that he received any help. VOADV placed Silhol in Home for the Brave (HFTB), a facility that serves displaced veterans. His case worker assisted him in the search for affordable housing, and after only being at HFTB for a few weeks he found an apartment. It was only when he attempted to make dinner that he realized he did not have basic household items, nor did he have the means to purchase them. So in an effort to prevent others from facing the same dilemma, Silhol partnered with VOADV and created the Apartment Starter Kit (ASK). It is a kit consisting of essential appliances and items that will help those in need transitioning from a shelter to permanent housing. “I kind of call this Phase II; it’s the period after being homeless and getting back on your feet.” Silhol is now working full time at a restaurant in Cherry Hill and is also enrolled in college as a full time student, majoring in hospitality and communication. – See more at: http://www.voadv.org/fredsilhol#sthash.X2IaYMlB.dpuf

http://www.voadv.org/fredsilhol