The first veterans service center of its kind in the Lehigh Valley, Hope for Veterans recently opened its doors in the Atrium Center in Allentown.

This drop-in facility at 2895 Hamilton Blvd. provides extraordinary people and programs designed to offer assistance to at-risk or homeless veterans.

Operated by Community Hope Inc., Hope for Veterans is a place where veterans and their families can go for free support.

The office, which is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., offers specialty days: Monday is job placement/vocational services; Tuesday is budgeting assistance; Wednesday is assisting with SOAR (a substance abuse recovery program) applications; Thursday is housing; and Friday is mental health/recovery. Vocational/computer labs, board games and television are available every day.

However, according to program coordinator John Maher, people can just drop in any time: The doors are open.

“While we have a focus and resource people are available on specific days, we can help with anything any day,” said Maher.

The organization serves a seven-county area and is set up to service 300 veterans and/or families per year.

The need in this area is great. There are roughly 30,000 veterans living in the Lehigh Valley, and Maher estimates that there could be thousands in need of some sort of assistance.

He offered several examples of ways Hope for Veterans can help, as the organization has shifted from helping strictly homeless veterans to offering aid in obtaining all veteran services.

“A man came in whose father was a veteran. He was looking for help getting his father into assisted living, and we were able to help him out,” he said. “We also hope to get to at-risk people before they become homeless. If a vet loses his/her job, we can get them the services on site and avoid an 11th-hour situation.”

However, when homelessness or the threat of homelessness does occur, rapid re-housing is provided, with the goal of long-term permanency.

“When a veteran becomes enrolled in our program, we develop a housing plan. We assist in finding that home and whatever is necessary for stabilization,” said Maher. “For example, we ask several questions, like if they need a job, an education, have a car that needs fixing, are eligible for benefits, etc. We put them in an apartment with those services in place, and those apartments are meant to be their home.”

That is the best-case scenario; offering help to those who have been chronically homeless can present a multitude of hurdles.

Bob Rapp Jr. is a community outreach specialist who spends his days actively seeking to help homeless veterans.

“I chase down calls of folks who are out in the shelter systems, at the pantries, in the woods, so I’m a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy,” said Rapp. “I also go out to the camps to visit men and women on the streets.”

He said many homeless may not be looking for or want housing, or they may not know about Hope for Veterans, so the outreach often begins at the shelters, kitchens and hospitals, whose staff are his eyes and ears.

Rapp described a recent encounter.

“I visited with a gentleman who is a veteran just to see if we can help him out. The immediate needs were for some things in the camp, tarp and clothing. I went through other affiliates to get them what they need and told them if you need something else to give me a call here (at Hope for Veterans),” Rapp said. “It helps establish a relationship. It’s about trust.”

Improvements in the Veterans Administration and benefits for vets have been thrust into the limelight in recent years, but Maher stresses there is still much more to be done.

“I think it’s a work in progress. At least we’ve admitted there is a problem, but more money needs to be spent – and be spent effectively.”

Beyond government efforts, Maher asked the public to broaden its perceptions of homelessness.

“It’s an education thing. I think a lot of people still think that homeless people are a bunch of guys living in a box car with a stick and handkerchief tied around it, warming themselves about an oil drum,” he said. “That is nowhere close to reality. Homelessness looks nothing like that. Homelessness looks like you and me and is way deeper than anyone wants to admit, especially when it comes to veterans.”

Veterans, he says, are at greater risk of homelessness for several reasons, including the trauma of war, the inefficiency of the VA and the stigma of being a veteran.

As Rapp gets ready to leave the office and head back out to the streets, he offers, “You don’t have to be a veteran to call the hotline. A family member, friend or anyone who sees a veteran who may need these services can call us; we will provide the outreach.”

The 24-hour Referral Hotline for Homeless Veterans and Veteran Families is 1-855-483-8466.