A former candidate for the U.S. Senate is leading an effort to acquire the buildings at the Knoxville Veterans home to turn the home into a recovery center for veterans. Bob Krause is the chair of the effort to create the “Veterans National Recovery Center” to help veterans who are suffering from “post traumatic stress disorder” or P-T-S-D.
Krause says P-T-S-D tends to create environments for veterans where they ultimately become homeless. He says the veterans have paranoia and other behavioral issues, and he says it removes them from society. Krause says the veterans often prefer to stay away from normal society because they have trouble coping due to the issues created by P-T-S-D.
Krause says the center would put these veterans through a two-year program to help them deal with the situation. He says the two-year program would train and counsel the veterans and help them build networks with friends and national employers. Krause says there are an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 veterans nationwide that suffer from the problem He says the center could hold 400 to 700 veterans if they were able to acquire the 39 buildings in Knoxville.
Krause says homelessness is now considered a local problem, but he says when it comes to veterans, it is a national problem. He says around half of the veterans who’re are homeless are from the Vietnam era, but they are now seeing an influx of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Krause says the federal government has just asked for proposals for the buildings to get the process underway.
Krause says the application has to be into Washington by February 15th and they expect the Veterans Administration to make a decision in about 90 days. Krause says he expects one or two other applicants will submit proposals to try and gain control of the property. Krause says the center would use federal funding as well as local donations. You can find out more about the plans at: www.vnrc.us.