{"id":7867,"date":"2025-06-05T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7867"},"modified":"2025-06-05T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:30:00","slug":"va-stuck-with-me-they-gave-me-time-to-get-it-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7867","title":{"rendered":"\u2018VA stuck with me. They gave me time to get it right\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-06-05T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

For Marine Corps Veteran David Reeves, leaving military service led to battles with addiction and homelessness.<\/p>\n

Reeves served eight years in the Marines as a data network specialist, deploying to Iraq in 2008 and to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, from 2009 to 2010. After returning home, he was stationed in St. Louis before receiving a medical discharge in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was angry,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want anything to do with the government. I wanted to be left alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 2014, he was homeless and struggling with substance use. By 2016, he was living in a tent near a zoo campground in Nebraska.<\/p>\n

With a frigid winter looming and no shelter, Reeves checked into a community detox center. That center connected him to Grand Island VA health care. That\u2019s where things began to change.<\/p>\n

TR House: A bridge to stability<\/h2>\n

After completing inpatient treatment through VA\u2019s substance abuse residential rehabilitation treatment program, Reeves was referred to the Compensated Work Therapy<\/a>\/Transitional Residence Program, or \u201cTR House,\u201d in early 2017.<\/p>\n

The program offers Veterans a structured living environment, vocational rehabilitation and support services as they work toward reintegration into the community and workforce. It supports Veterans facing homelessness, addiction or unemployment. More than a temporary shelter, the program offers Veterans structure, purpose and a team invested in their success.<\/p>\n

Part of the program is reintegration into the workforce. For Reeves, that meant working in the VA kitchen\u2014a job that would put him on a path to leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cTR House gave me time,\u201d Reeves shared. \u201cIt\u2019s usually a one-year program, but my transition took longer than normal due to employment barriers. They helped me for two and a half years until I could get through some hurdles and move out on my own. No other program would do that. But VA did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reeves worked in the kitchen through the program for three years before officially becoming a VA employee. By 2022, he was promoted to kitchen manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done civilian treatment programs before\u201430 days and you\u2019re out, no plan, and I went right back to the streets,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cVA stuck with me. They gave me time to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advice to fellow Veterans: Stick with it<\/h2>\n

Now several years into stable employment and living in recovery, Reeves encourages Veterans who need help to reach out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re in TR House, stick with it. Do the full year. Don\u2019t rush it,\u201d he advised. \u201cThere\u2019s no other place that gives you this kind of support. You\u2019re in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a tent in the snow to a manager at VA, Reeves\u2019s story is a reminder of what\u2019s possible when Veterans are offered the tools, time and trust they need to rebuild their lives after service. Learn more about compensated work therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s how a Marine Corps Veteran got it right with Compensated Work Therapy Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018VA stuck with me. 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