By Peter Lyons Hall

“Veterans are not unlike civilians when it comes to finding affordable homes,” reports Homelessness.org, and like other home-seekers they face the lack of sufficient inventory that they can afford, as well as credit scores that may fall short of loan requirements. That’s why the Rumshock Veterans Foundation residential community planned for Port Jervis will be a first for Orange County, New York, and why the Credit Card Bingo fund-raising event on December 2, 2023 beginning at 2PM, at the Port Jervis Elks Lodge is so important.

 Instead of winning cash, the Rumshock Credit card bingo event participants could win great gift cards from stores like Home Depot, Kohl’s, Amazon, PetSmart, and many more. Plus there will be a 50/50 drawing and Tricky Tray basket prizes. Players can bring their own non-alcoholic beverages and there will even be a cash bar available.

 According to research from Homeless.org, “those who served in the late Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras are at the greatest risk of facing affordable housing but that veterans from more recent wars and conflicts are also affected.” Veterans returning from deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq often face a challenge that most others do not: how to reintegrate into the community they once were a part of. As a result, they also carry invisible wounds like traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, and depression.

A Sustainable Community for Veterans with Five Important Components…
We can offer them a second chance – an opportunity to be successful members of a supportive community! The staff and volunteers at Rumshock Veterans Foundation are working to do all we can to offer veterans the opportunity to improve their physical, mental, and emotional health as well as reconnect with society through meaningful activities. There are five components to the Foundation’s sustainable program: 1) Rumshock Village, a tiny residential community of 10 affordable, individual housing units for veterans (see attached architectural drawing); 2) Hydroponic Farming, maintained by Village residents; 3) Rumshock Transportation, to assist Village residents in making appointments to healthcare providers and other necessities; 4) E-Waste Recycling, involving the recovery of materials to be used in future production; and 5) Canine Companionship, for needed emotional support. Rumshock’s Veterans’s Village, consisting of 10 tiny homes, with indoor community buildings, outdoor space, and employment opportunities, will be located at 297 East Main Street, Port Jervis, NY.  Rumshock Veterans Foundation works closely with the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Project, a peer-to-peer program for Veterans facing the challenges of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), to identify the most needy veterans who can benefit the most from the Rumshock program.

 The Port Jervis Elks Lodge #645 is located at 35 US Route 6, just a quarter mile east off Exit #1 of Interstate-84. To learn more about Rumshock’s program, and to purchase tickets for the Credit Card Bingo event or make a tax-deductible donation, click on https://rumshockvf.org.