Detroit nonprofit that helps homeless veterans to close after losing grant funding from VA
(CBS DETROIT) - It's considered a place of refuge for homeless veterans, but now a Detroit nonprofit that helped get them back on their feet is forced to close.
Operation Welcome Home will have to shut down on Friday after losing out on grant funding from Veterans Affairs.
Resident Cashia Thomas was filled with emotions Thursday as she packed her suitcase in what she described as a bittersweet moment.
Thomas is moving out of a home she sees as a haven.
Thomas, a veteran and mother of four, says when she became homeless twice, it was Operation Welcome Home that was there to help her when she needed it most.
"It's a little sad. I had a really rough time, and I really would not have been able to recover or to be able to have the space to know that my kids are safe, know that I'm safe, without Operation Welcome Home. I would not have had that," she said.
Thomas is one of six veterans forced to leave Operation Welcome Home.
Jacque Dukes is the clinical director for Operation Welcome Home. Dukes says she doesn't know exactly why the nonprofit lost funding, but says the VA told her it was because the nonprofit didn't meet certain VA standards.
Dukes says it's still unclear what they did wrong.
"It matters because why we were asleep and safe, these people put their lives on the line for us. It's not something I gave a lot of thought to until I started working here. These people matter. They did what we didn't do. We are free because they took time out of their lives to protect us," Dukes said. "Operation Welcome Home is needed to help. That's all we want to do is help."
And with their help, Thomas and her children will be moving into a new place.
Thomas says it breaks her heart, though, to know a place that helped change her life won't be there for other veterans in need.
"It gave you a little bit of comfort. A little bit of peace and a lot of hope to get you through this difficult time, and that's being lost," Thomas said.
Operation Welcome Home has two other properties for male veterans and their families. They, too, will now have to find another place to stay.
Despite the nonprofit closing its doors, Dukes says they will continue to try to help veterans.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and expects to receive an answer in the coming days.
