Our Foundation

Learn more about our Foundation here

When I was discharged after serving overseas I had several issues I needed to work through. While I was doing this, my wife noticed a major change in my attitude, emotions and temper. Along with my wife, my friends convinced me to see someone, I did.

While I was getting help, I also needed short term help, household bills, car repair and so on. I was lucky enough have family to help. Most Veterans don't have that.

There are hundreds of Veteran organizations that help our service members, but none that I could find that focused on short term obstacles.

That's why we started Veterans Independence Foundation. A Veterans organization that focuses on short term barriers to long term health, happiness and success for not only disabled Veterans, but all veterans.

There are three requirements to getting some kind of assistance;

1. You must be an Honorably discharged service member.
2. You must be registered with your local VA facility.
3. You must need assistance.

If you meet these criteria, YOU QUALIFY for some kind of assistance.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the nation’s homeless/disabled veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans.

Roughly 45% of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively.

Homeless/disabled veterans are younger on average than the total veteran population. Approximately 9% are between the ages of 18 and 30, and 41% are between the ages of 31 and 50. Conversely, only 5% of all veterans are between the ages of 18 and 30, and less than 23% are between 31 and 50. These are the men and women that put their life on hold to protect us. The least we can do is give a little back to them.

America’s homeless/disabled veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF), and the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. Two-thirds served our country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone.

About 1.4 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness/disability due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

In addition to the complex set of factors influencing all homelessness – extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care – a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Additionally, military occupations and training are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing some veterans at a disadvantage when competing for employment.

Veterans Independence Foundation, a non-profit organization 501(c)3 (pending). We are a Veterans organization that focuses on short term barriers to long term health, happiness and success for all Veterans.

These are the men and women that put their life on hold to protect us. The least we can do is give a little back to them. They are each an American hero, and all of them seek to return to a fulfilling civilian life with the promise of achieving great things for themselves and their families. These are accomplished individuals, who have suffered great personal tragedy, but whose hope for the future is not diminished by their disability. It is our goal, through active participation in outdoor sports activities, to help each of them to re-build the self-confidence needed to face each of life’s challenges.

We solicit your support of these veterans through Veterans Independence Foundation by contributing as a company or individual, and pledge that our efforts on behalf of the disabled veteran will make you proud of your association with us. These men and women have given their all in defending the American way of life, and to aid in their physical, mental and cultural rehabilitation/integration is the our only mission.

Veterans Independence Foundation is a small organization of volunteers which affords us much lower overheads than most charities, in order to maximize benefits to the veteran. We intend to remain small sponsoring a limited number of events, and to spend most of our energies in being certain that each event is conducted in the best possible manner for the benefit of the veteran. We appreciate your interest in us, invite you to stay connected to us through our web site and solicit your commitments and contributions for disabled veterans through our Facebook page or our website and we pledge strict adherence to our mission on behalf of our sponsors, for the sole benefit of our honored disabled American veterans.

For information about our board members, please click here.

Thank you
Neil Blitstein
Founder
Veterans Independence Foundation