Spencer American Legion Commander Spearheads Houses For Homeless Vets

The Commander of Spencer’s American Legion Post leading the construction of four buildings to house homeless veterans.

Hansel Moore said the exterior of the buildings are complete and the work is moving into the interior. He said he is seeking volunteers to help him with electricity, plumbing, drywall and painting. Moore said there are homeless veterans in every community that need help including one he met nearby.

“I said where do you live in Van Buren,” Moore said. “He said I live in the woods, and that just struck me, and he shared with me that there were 12 veterans living in an encampment in the woods.”

Moore said he hopes to have veterans moved into the houses by May. The four units will house four veterans for a year, allowing them time to find employment and save some money. After a year, the 400-square-foot units will then be opened up to help a new set of homeless vets.

“Our goal is to send them out with a job, a little bit of money in their pocket and a new hope,” Moore said. “Kind of a reset for their lives.”

The project which Moore calls Veterans In Transition American Legion (VITAL) will also help the vets get in contact with social workers, health care, job placement and financial advising. Moore has been working on the project for three years. He said there are over 2,000 homeless veterans in the state of Tennessee and every community likely has a homeless veteran population.

“The more hands that come together, the more talent that we have we can get these available to veterans,” Moore said. “Even when we just started talking about it. It’s a good thing, but it’s also a sad thing. I’ve already had 12 veterans ask about being residents there and that’s just a drop in the bucket. So, probably within just 72 hours of having these complete we will have four veterans in each unit.”

If you have the skill set to help Moore with the interior of the units reach out to the Spencer American Legion.