Local organization helping reduce number of homeless veterans in Western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH — Tens of thousands of military veterans are homeless. According to federal data, it’s a number that’s been rising in recent years.

A local organization is dedicated to shrinking that number.

“I hate to think what would have happened,” Air Force veteran Linda Nadolny said. “I was donating blood and getting money from it to basically live off of [...] I was eating and living off blood donation money.”

She was nearly a statistic. The COVID-19 pandemic cost Nadolny her job as a landscaper. She’d been doing it since her honorable discharge nearly two decades earlier.

“When COVID hit and I lost my job, I kind of went through a bit of a depression and realized I had some mental health issues I hadn’t really addressed,” she said.

She eventually reached out to her local V.A. for help and was referred to an organization called “Soldier On.”

“Within two days of being referred to Soldier On, I was sitting down with one of the caseworkers in my living room,” she said.

The organization currently helps about 600 families in Western PA.

“Our case managers are out in the field meeting veterans where they are. Where they’re sleeping, if they’re in a homeless shelter,” Soldier On field supervisor Erin Burkett said.

The organization was founded in 1994 and serves veterans of all ages.

“Our population as a whole is aging,” field supervisor Catherine Bichler said.

Nadolny says Soldier On paid her rent for three months, allowing her to focus on finding a job in insurance.

After two years, her story came full circle.

Retired Airmen Linda Nadolny joined Soldier On as a peer support specialist.

“I, myself, have been through it. I’ve been on the street. I’ve been hard up where I didn’t have anything but a hundred dollars a month from blood donations,” Nadolny said. “It feels really good to be able to know that I had help but know that I’m also giving back and helping.”

If you know someone in need or who may be at risk, you can visit Soldier On’s website or call the toll-free hotline at 1-866-406-8449.

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