Churches United sees an increase in homeless veterans in their shelter

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) —  “None of our cases of homelessness are as easy as they come through the shelter. But when you do find out that a person is a veteran, and the factors that come into play in trying to find them housing are sometimes they’re just insurmountable,” said Pastor Devlyn Brooks, Churches United.

In North Dakota, 275 veterans are experiencing homelessness, according to the North Dakota Homeless Management Information System. While in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs reports 150 veterans are experiencing homelessness.

“I can just say that they’re steadily coming through. Even in just the Fargo-Moorhead area…I think it just stands to reason that a lot of the veterans that we see come through our doors are probably from the North Dakota side just because of the geography of things,” said Brooks.

Over the last six months, Churches United has been working with the local Veterans Affairs office to prioritize a few beds at their shelters and to have ten housing units. But Brooks says even with their support, the numbers have gone up due to a lack of emergency shelter in the area.

“On any given day, we’re going to have a handful or more vets who are in our shelters, and we’re going to have the ten that are in our housing. And I wish we had the resources and the available housing to house even more,” said Brooks.

For more information on Churches United and their efforts, visit here.