The mission of Liberty Manor for Veterans Inc. is to promote the developmental and social needs of disabled, honorably discharged veterans who have fallen victim to homelessness by providing them transitional, supported housing and establishing objectives designed to attribute to self-sufficiency.
“In 2005, we identified a void in services as it relates to homeless veterans when it was evidenced that veterans that worked hard and played it straight all their life receive no services for housing,” said Liberty Manor for Veterans’ director, Connie Lindsay. “Liberty Manor for Veterans is the first residential program of its kind in America that provides housing to veterans who have become homeless as a result of an unemployment situation or an injury that has left the veteran unemployable. Liberty Manor for Veterans originated as a result of a merger between two individuals on opposite ends of the judicial system but united in a mission to assist homeless veterans, resulting in the implementation of the first and most successful veterans homeless programs in the Tampa Bay area.”
Recently, one of the veterans living at Liberty Manor was the recipient of a much-needed vehicle.
“Jesse Hinton was the benefactor of the donation from the Elks Plant City and Jay and Cathy Kudlinski, owners of Absolute Auto Repair in Dover,” Lindsay said. “Jesse was a Coast Guard veteran who was discharged due to a disability. All participants were delighted that an automobile was presented to Jesse, making it possible to go to medical appointments as well making grocery shopping much easier. We all have a knot in our stomach when we drive out of Liberty Manor and see our veterans at the end of the road waiting for the next bus because it is treacherously hot in the summer in Florida. Coupled with the medications they are required to take, just doesn’t seem right.”
The strengths of Liberty Manor for Veterans are numerous.
“We attribute our success to a community of corporations, volunteers, churches and administration that are extremely committed to improving the quality of life for our veterans,” Lindsay said. “Because we serve as transitioning housing for veterans, our census rate is higher for the number of veterans that we serve per year. We can serve 100 veterans annually. This number does not necessarily include veterans that we have housed but also those veterans that we provided case management for the purpose of procuring food, bus transportation, clothing, career opportunities and family assistance. We have actually served a total of a thousand veterans since our existence.”
If you would like to learn more about Liberty Manor for Veterans, you can visit their website at www.libertymanor.org or call 813-900-9422. Liberty Manor for Veterans is located at 10015 N. 9th St. in Tampa.
