For the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of kicking off my holiday season at American Legion Post 34 in Broad Ripple. This post, home of one of HVAF’s founders, Louise Loyd, hosts an annual holiday meal on the first Saturday of November for the veterans we serve. Louise, who just turned 99, is there to greet each veteran with a hug and a smile and it’s the perfect experience to get ready for the holiday season.

Nearly every year since 2021, I’ve had the opportunity to share a table with Navy veteran Bianca. In 2020, Bianca became homeless after losing her job in the service industry. Like many veterans during the pandemic, Bianca initially stayed in a hotel to avoid sleeping unsheltered and was connected with HVAF for emergency shelter assistance, food assistance, and eventually placement in permanent housing. While living in her own apartment at Veterans Villa, Bianca engaged with our Employment Team and participated in VetWorks to increase her skills so that she could obtain a higher paying career.

During Bianca’s time in VetWorks, she was connected with one of our community partners, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP).  INHP offers a variety of opportunities to veterans enrolled in VetWorks, including match savings accounts, financial literacy, and in Bianca’s case, a chance to become a homeowner!

A few weeks ago, I was honored to visit Bianca in her new home!  She and her beloved cats now live in a newly constructed 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house on the near-east side of Indianapolis. She is thriving in her career in the IT field.

Over the years, HVAF has expanded programs and services to offer holistic services to vulnerable veterans in our community. Bianca is a perfect example of how our safety net of services works together to ensure that all veterans have the opportunity for a better quality of life.

Bianca has always been funny and engaging, but to see her confidence as she gave a tour of her new home was incredible. Because of your support, Bianca was unemployed and now she is doing well in her position with the City of Indianapolis. She was homeless, and now she is a homeowner! Thank you for helping to change her life!