Nonprofit shelter for female military veterans may be forced to close

Homeless military veteran housing for women could shut down after funding stops

A nonprofit helping female military veterans and their small children is on the verge of closing.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Metro Detroit nonprofit that provides housing for female veterans could be shut down in a matter of months.

The deadline is September 30th - that’s when Operation Welcome Home closes to female veterans and their small children if they don’t get the money they need.

Gloria Lyons got out of the Air Force after serving our country, earned her masters degree and is a survivor of domestic violence

"He burned the house down, and we lost absolutely everything - with a newborn baby and my autistic son," she said.

When Gloria Lyons came to Operation Welcome Home, she had been floating around for six months and her only other option was a warming center

"I literally was going to sleep in my car if the warming shelter was too bad, or we were going to tough it out and camp," she said. "It was literally a life-saver I had no idea what I was going to do."

The non-profit known as OWN for short, out of Detroit, takes in veterans who need housing who are in transition - but they offer a very specific service for female vets and their small kids, one of the few places that does.

"There is no other place," said Jacquelin Dukes, operations director of OWN.

The V-A refers people who may need O-W-N’s help… safe and comfortable housing… a place for women with specific needs post service to lean on one another

"It allows the children to explore a little bit and somebody’s always watching over them. They become the support system to each other that they need. They exercise together, some go to church together, they go to NA, AA together, whatever their needs are."

Virtually all of OWN’s funding came from the Department of Veterans Affairs and they lost out on that money - and aren’t sure how they’re going to make up the windfall.

"The issue is our systems were not designed to take care of women who served in the military and their children," said Adam Hollier.

Hollier is the Director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

Hilary Golston, FOX 2 News: "Can I connect you with the people here and - is there a way funding can be worked out?"

"I’m 100 percent committed to doing everything we can to fill this need," Hollier said. "We've got to rally the nonprofit community, the philanthropic community and get all hands on deck."

Hilary Golston FOX 2 has contacted Veterans Affairs on the national level for help and it said it is looking into it.

If you would like to help, email: Abashor@owh313.org