Navy veteran Shelley Murray-Smith (left) and Army veteran Michelle Porterfield found support for the journey from home- lessness at Angels House, a Lutheran Services Carolinas pro- gram in Columbia, S.C.
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In the Carolinas, Lutherans help female veterans find hope
Text and photos by Katie Scarvey S
helter is sometimes used to describe Faith Farm and Angels House, located in Dallas, N.C., and Columbia, S.C., respectively. But the word doesn’t do justice to what these transitional homes for female veterans really provide: hope. Operated by Lutheran Services Carolinas, which funds the programs in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Faith Farm and Angels House address the reality that women are the fastest-growing seg- ment of the homeless veteran population. Each woman’s story is unique, but some common themes emerge at the homes: depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual abuse (1 in 5 women in the military have reported being victims of military sexual trauma). At Faith Farm and Angels House, residents function as a family, sharing household responsibilities as they prepare for self-sufficiency. Program lead- ers support the women as they seek employment and keep them informed about veterans’ benefits.
Scarvey is a communications specialist with Lutheran Services Carolinas. 28 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Judy Johnston (left), director of Faith Farm, a program for home- less female veterans in Dallas, N.C., helps Tonya Maynor with a knitting project. Maynor was readjusting to civilian life after two tours of duty in Iraq when she found herself battling anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks. Faith Farm has been a place for her to heal.
than shelter
“We don’t recycle people here,” said Judy Johnston, program direc- tor of Faith Farm, which is owned by the Lutheran Support Group of Gaston Inc., a partnership of 16 Lutheran congregations in Gaston County. The home can accommo- date seven women, who are referred through the VA. Participants can live there for up to two years, although many transition out after a year and a half. “When they leave, they’re ready to leave,” Johnston said. Johnston helps residents set up
treatment plans that focus on physi- cal and emotional health, housing, job placement, education, and recon- necting with family and friends. Denise Harper, an Air Force vet- eran, comes from a military family. She remembers her arrival at Faith Farm late in 2011 in terms of what she lacked: a home, possessions, confidence and her health. But she didn’t lose her motivation to rebuild her life. And that’s exactly what she did at Faith Farm.
“God brought me here for a pur- pose,” she said. “I did the footwork,
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