Guest Opinion: A Veteran’s Plea To Congressman Cliff Bentz
Update: Veteran’s Plea For Help Answered
Following publication of Navy veteran Scott R. Hadley’s letter, Alexia Spentzas, Congressman Cliff Bentz’s Communications Director, got in touch with the Daily Tidings to request help in reaching him. Congressman Bentz is eager to help and support any way they can.
We have shared their respective contact details and will post updates as soon as they are available.
By Scott R. Hadley – Medford, Oregon
Dear Editor, I am a 70-year old Navy veteran, and because of unforeseen circumstances, my rent where I was living in Nevada, went up by $150 per month.
Since I simply could not afford the increase in rent, I decided to turn to the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program (HUD-VASH) and left Nevada for Medford on October 2nd.
Medford was known as the V.A. Domiciliary. In 2001 I received immediate housing, dental, work assigned, a primary care doctor and more from that facility, all provided by the Veterans Administration.
On October 5th, I checked into that facility, only to find the various departments all chopped up. For example, I signed up for the HUD-VASH program through the V.A. But all of a sudden, other organizations began to get involved, significantly complicating the process.
An organization known as “ACCESS” then began complicating the HUD-VASH process, by sending me to a shelter, where a “program” must be participated in. But I’m not willing to pretend to be an alcoholic or a drug addict, solely for a bed.
I have now been homeless in Medford for 21 days. As a Vietnam Navy veteran, I find it extremely repugnant that agencies like “ACCESS,” “Hope House,” “Salvation Army.” and other organizations prey on veterans because they know most veterans have some sort of monthly government income. All these non-V.A. agencies went into my banking records to check my balance.
I call upon the Congressional representative from Medford to write a bill for Congress to vote on, in which it would become illegal for ANY agency outside of the Veterans Administration, to be involved in any veteran’s affairs.
Scott R. Hadley, Medford
Vietnam Veteran