From the streets to a home of his own: One Veteran’s road to recovery

How VA programs helped a Louisiana Veteran reclaim his life and support recovery

After completing the Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program, an initiative that helped him find discipline and regain his footing after struggling to stay on track in high school, Nathaniel Toups turned to his mother one day and mentioned that he was thinking about enlisting in the Air Force. She wasn’t fully convinced that he would be accepted, but Toups figured there was only one way to find out, so together, they walked into a recruiting center.

He was accepted, a moment he said he’ll never forget.

Unfortunately, Toups’ time serving in the Air Force was cut short after about a year, following a traumatic event that led to his discharge. Without adequate support to cope with the aftermath, he turned to drugs and alcohol to help him cope.

Over the next 15 to 16 years, Toups faced a long and difficult battle with substance use disorder and became estranged from his daughter. Even so, he never stopped trying to overcome his addiction and even enrolled in several shorter treatment programs along the way. However, he always felt he needed more support beyond what these 28-day programs could offer. When he finally called VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, he was living on the streets of Baton Rouge, ready and determined to turn his life around.

Treatment, housing and a Fresh Start Homeless program staff at the VA Southeast Louisiana Healthcare System helped Toups enroll in a local rehabilitation facility, where he completed an eight-month inpatient substance use disorder treatment program.

While Toups focused on his recovery, his new HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) case manager worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure he would have a safe, stable place to live once he completed the program. That support helped Toups secure an apartment within a month of finishing treatment, giving him not only a place to live, but also a foundation to continue rebuilding his life.

After completing the program, Toups enrolled in college for computer studies, building on a passion for technology that he had developed in his teenage years when he was the go-to person for tech help among his friends and family. He also advocated for himself through VA’s benefits process, successfully raising his service-connected disability rating from 10% to 80% with unemployability—a journey that helped him better understand and take ownership of his own health.

“I started filing—first for my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), then for my hip. Then my primary care doctor asked about sleep apnea,” Toups said. “Once they tested me, they found I had severe sleep apnea from my time in service. I didn’t even know.”

Showing up for others

Even amid his own recovery, Toups continued to find ways to help the people around him. Before he had a car, he was the person neighbors would call for help with technology, fixing devices or handling small repairs. Once he was able to purchase a vehicle, he began driving fellow Veterans to their appointments. That instinct to show up for others has always been a part of him.

“My memaw [grandmother] raised me to be the person to always offer a hand and, you know, just do the right thing,” Toups said. “So even today, if I see somebody walking on the side of the road, I’m going to stop, offer them help and make sure they don’t need a ride or something like that. That’s just how I was raised to be.”

Rebuilding the relationship that matters most

Just 18 months after enrolling in HUD-VASH, Toups purchased his own home and was successfully discharged from the program. He also reconnected with his daughter, who was 12 at the time, and worked hard to rebuild their relationship and pursued and was ultimately awarded legal custody. “I reached out to the court system and told them I wasn’t there for much of her life, but now I have a roof I can place over her head,” said Toups.

As their relationship grew stronger, Toups became involved in his daughter’s education, helping her with her schoolwork and encouraging her success. With his support and her own hard work, Toups was beyond proud to share that she recently completed eighth grade with all A’s and B’s.

Toups continues to make a consistent, intentional effort to actively manage and stay engaged with his care and remain closely connected with his VA providers. He is also currently three years into his bachelor’s degree and recently learned that he met every qualification for an IT position with the Office of Personnel Management. His daughter, he said, is his inspiration and motivation to keep going.

Choosing growth and staying committed to recovery

Toups credits his VA counselors, doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists for playing a key role in his recovery. For Veterans in similar situations, he has a message: “There’s no one and done pill—there’s not that one cure that’s just going to be given to you, and you’ll be cured of an addiction,” said Toups. “It took someone showing me that I am dealing with trauma, but the weight of that trauma should never hold me back.”

Learn about VA programs

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.
• Read how one homeless Veteran gained stability and started a non-profit to help other Veterans. 
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Get involved with housing homeless Veterans.