MATT DAVISON: The Last House on the Prison Block

30
841

prisonveteransVETERANS BEHIND BARS

NEW DIRECTIONS – SERVING THE FORGOTTEN

BY Matt Davison STAFF WRITER

In 2006, I was coordinating a pilot program for the Department of Labor, called the Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program (IVTP). Since this was a pilot program, the there was always the option that the Department of Labor could discontinue it. In the Fall of 2007, I got word that IVTP was being terminated. Knowing that the non-profit I was working for at the time could not afford to keep me on the payroll without this funding, I thought about where I would most like to continue my service to veterans. I had known about New Directions, Inc. They had an excellent reputation for their holistic approach to serving veterans in need and at risk. Fortunately, there was an opening. More fortunately, I was able to fill that opening.

The moment you enter the center, you will see the mural “Healing”, created by artist Lucia Vinograd, which covers the circular exterior of the building’s first floor conference room. The mural incorporates selected lines from Wendell Berry’s essay of the same name, and symbolizes the journey undertaken by many of the residents here. Veterans who traveled from combat to addiction to homelessness find at New Directions a family of healing and renewal. When I saw the mural and read the words, I knew I was home.

New Directions offers a range of services for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless; these include long-term transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health and PTSD support, counseling, remedial education, vocational training and employment assistance, family reunification, parenting classes, and help in obtaining permanent housing. Currently being served are chronically homeless veterans, both men and women, veterans diagnosed with substance abuse, mental illness or both, veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Permanent supportive housing is being developed for disabled veterans, both older men and women, and OEF/OIF veterans.

New Directions began in 1972, when John Keaveney returned to the U.S. after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. Suffering from untreated PTSD, John soon fell into a vicious cycle of abusing drugs and alcohol, becoming homeless, and spending 11 years in and out of prison. In 1983, John was court-mandated to a Veterans Affairs drug rehabilitation program called New Directions. In 1990, John partnered with another Vietnam vet, Larry Williams and Toni Reinis, a public policy advocate who had developed programs and services for homeless people in the community. In 1992, John, Toni and Larry  established New Directions, Inc., a nonprofit 501© (3) organization named after the VA program that saved John and Larry’s lives.

In 1994, New Directions became the first social service agency in the nation to establish a residential treatment program designed for female veterans dealing with issues of homelessness, trauma and addiction. Known as “The Last House on the Block”, the 3-story building located on the West Los Angeles VA campus houses up to 156 male veterans, a 24-bed detoxification and assessment center, dining room and kitchen, employment center, gymnasium, and classrooms for remedial education, computer training and construction management. Another building on campus is geared to veterans with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders. In 2007, New Directions partnered with A Community of Friends to sign a 75-year lease for two buildings on the Sepulveda VA campus in North Hills. These structures will be developed into 147 units of permanent supportive housing to serve the needs of disabled veterans.

It all begins with Outreach. Staffed by veterans, the Outreach team visits parks, skid row, recreational areas, jails and prisons, shelters and VA medical centers. They accompany incarcerated Vets to court hearings in the hope of securing their release into our custody and into the New Directions detoxification center for assessment. Earnest is the spiritual center of this team. He watches out for their safety and brings harmony to places of great despair and potential violence. The Employment Center empowers veterans to return to families and society. Some of these veterans face significant barriers such as felony convictions, mental health issues or spotty job histories. Nevertheless, the New Directions vocational team has been highly successful in helping these individuals return to the workplace. In addition to Employment Services, the Education Services, in partnership with the Los Angeles District’s Adult Division, teaches reading, writing, and mathematics to veterans since 1997.

New Directions even has its own choir that travels around California and bring joy to all who attend their performances. They say that when one door closes, another door opens. The door that opened for me over a year and a half ago opened wide and welcomed me home. The veterans of New Directions are turning their lives around, and I feel honored to assist. To quote Wendell Berry…

The most creative works are all strategies of health. Good work finds the way between pride and despair. It graces with health. It heals with grace. By it, we lose loneliness: the scattered members must be brought together.


STAFF WRITER Matt Davison is an Air Force veteran Radio Intercept Operator, monitoring Russian and Chinese communications. Matt took boot camp at Lackland AFB, Tech School at Keesler AFB, and spent time in both Misawa AFB and Wakkanai AFB in Japan. He wound up his enlistment at Otis AFB doing coastal surveillance. Matt has worked over a decade assisting homeless and incarcerated veterans turn their lives around and become productive members of society. For his commitment to veterans in need and at risk, he has received the California State Council AVVA Member of the Year, National AVVA Member of the Year, and Chapel of Four Chaplains Humanitarian Awards. Matt currently holds membership in five veteran service organizations and is presently associated with New Directions, Inc., a non-profit veteran service organization in Los Angeles, where he helps formerly homeless, addicted, and incarcerated vets become productive citizens.

ATTENTION READERS

We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully Informed
In fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.

About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
Due to the nature of uncensored content posted by VT's fully independent international writers, VT cannot guarantee absolute validity. All content is owned by the author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners, or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images are the full responsibility of the article author and NOT VT.
Previous articleGORDON DUFF: VETS AND BIKES: REMEMBERING THE YEARS
Next articleAssistant Secretary Riojas Sworn In
Gordon Duff posted articles on VT from 2008 to 2022. He is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War. A disabled veteran, he worked on veterans and POW issues for decades. Gordon is an accredited diplomat and is generally accepted as one of the top global intelligence specialists. He manages the world's largest private intelligence organization and regularly consults with governments challenged by security issues. Duff has traveled extensively, is published around the world, and is a regular guest on TV and radio in more than "several" countries. He is also a trained chef, wine enthusiast, avid motorcyclist, and gunsmith specializing in historical weapons and restoration. Business experience and interests are in energy and defense technology.