Giving Back To Those Willing To Give It All
A homeless veteran doesn’t have to be hopeless. According to multiple sources on average 35-40,000 veterans are homeless in our country on any given night. Camp GRAVES through our facility Camp Rendezvous wishes to begin putting a dent in Veteran homelessness in our area through long-term solutions to permanently get them off the streets and back to the life they deserve. They have served us and now it is our turn to serve them.
Camp Rendezvous continues the mission of providing interim housing, education, and resources of all kinds but its focus will be on housing, educating, and rehabilitating our homeless veteran population. Camp Rendezvous will be capable of housing up to 8 fulltime homeless veteran residents, have available two “overnight” rooms, a crisis room, a recreation/group therapy room, therapist/case manager office and a workshop. The facility in Mayfield, Ky will provide housing to residents for 12-18 months as they cope with and overcome the obstacles that led to their current situation. Housing security is a springboard for success. In cooperation with other veteran organizations Camp Rendezvous will connect these brave servicemen to the resources that homelessness has disconnected them from. Giving these servicemen the opportunity to heal physically, mentally, and financially can break the cycle that kept them from the life a hero deserves to live.
Camp Rendezvous will bring veterans together who otherwise might have never met each other. The recreation and group therapy room will give them a place to not only socialize, share their stories and struggles with fellow residents but also with other local veterans. This kind of social support can renew their feeling of belonging and value to themselves, their comrades and community.
The workshop will house a business that will hire the resident veterans getting them back into the workforce, teaching them a skill or trade and bringing them an income. Getting back into the workforce can be difficult when you are also acclimating to a new home, new people, new routine, new health providers, and new lifestyle. Having a job onsite can eliminate some of the anxiety and stress that comes with starting a new job. Our hope is that with education, support, and time the residents will move forward on to careers that will support them in their housing, income and lifestyle goals.
Our overnight rooms will provide a warm bed, hot shower, good meal, laundry facility and safety for transient veterans just passing through in need of a rest stop. The crisis room will be available to any veteran in our community. This room will provide a safe place for a veteran who is experiencing a PTSD flare up or any other immediate mental health crisis. We will provide them a secure, confidential, and safe place for them to go through this moment with mental health and comrade support.
Camp Rendezvous may provide temporary housing, but we strive to facilitate permanent change that will keep these veterans from returning to homelessness. With resources, support, and education we can assist these courageous servicemen in building back better and breaking the cycle of veteran homelessness. They deserve the life that we all have had the opportunity to lead because their sacrifice and selflessness.
