Lauren Carpenter, Author at HVAF

February 28, 2018

Emmy Hildebrand receives her Black Belt

Last December, Emmy Hildebrand, HVAF’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Public Policy, received her Black Belt… her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, that is. Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that combines two process improvement methods to decrease organizational costs and increase efficiency. […]

April 30, 2018

IU frats “Face Off” for our veterans

Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, and eight other Indiana University fraternities faced off this weekend to benefit HVAF. Face Off For the Forces, which started in 2014, is a lacrosse tournament to benefit military organizations. Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi lead the tournament and […]

April 30, 2018

Army vet Kevin: “I’m glad HVAF is around”

Last September, Army veteran Kevin E. was homeless, as he was living in his vehicle. That same month, his life was changed. He found out his 12-year-old grandson did not have a place to live anymore, and he would need to gain custody of him. […]

April 30, 2018

Local church donates bike to homeless veterans

While trying to obtain employment and housing, one huge hindrance for a veteran can be means of transportation. Thankfully, Cornerstone Lutheran Church is wanting to change that. In April, the church donated 25 bikes to HVAF, with plans to bring 25 more bikes soon. “The […]

May 31, 2018

Indy’s Veteran Homelessness Population Down 20 Percent

Each year, on one cold night in January, representatives go out into their community and identify homeless individuals, providing a snapshot of the area’s homeless population. In 2017, 328 homeless veterans were identified. This year, that number dropped by 20 percent to 261. “This is […]

May 31, 2018

Indianapolis Rotary Club packs backpacks for veterans

As a way to carry out their motto “Service Above Self,” the Indianapolis Rotary Club packed backpacks for Indianapolis’ homeless veteran population. Last year, they packed 144 backpacks, and packed 180 this year! HVAF was also blessed to have Senator Joe Donnelly come to HVAF […]

June 30, 2018

From homeless to homeowner: How HVAF helped Ray overcome veteran homelessness

After returning from two years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, Ray Lay began struggling with service-related mental health issues. Eventually these issues would lead to and be compounded by substance abuse, incarceration, and finally homelessness. Seeking a new start, Ray moved to Indianapolis at […]

August 31, 2018

‘I’m not going through it alone’ How helping Navy homeless veteran was team effort

After graduating from high school, Vincent decided he wanted to fight for our country, and he joined the United States Navy. “I wanted to do something better with my life,” he said. From 2007-2011, Vincent was in active duty. But due to missing his child’s […]

September 30, 2018

‘HVAF gave me hope’ How our case managers housed a homeless veteran in 24 hours

In 2011, Lianna Spencer enlisted in the United States Air Force. After serving for two years, Lianna got out and went back to her home in Arizona, where she went back to school and work. She also spent one year on the reservation taking care […]