Veteran Couple Evicted & Facing Homelessness—After a Life of Helping Others

Hello friends and kind strangers,

We’ve been veterans, caregivers, and helpers—and now, we’re out of time and options. Unsafe housing, bedbug infestations, health emergencies, and sudden eviction have left us in a motel with no funds to move forward. We’re two elderly veterans—myself, Lonnie, a 78-year-old Navy vet who served at Guantánamo in the late ’60s, and Page, an Army vet with an honorable discharge—plus a loyal 17-year-old cat and a bouncy little dachshund.

We just need help getting to our next home. Every dollar helps.

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The Full Story

Until recently, we lived at Freedom’s Path, an apartment complex for veterans in Kerrville, Texas, next to the VA hospital. It’s privately owned and run by a large corporation—not a veteran among them in management, curiously enough.

We’ve spent the last two years doing everything we could to help others in our building. I ran errands, helped less able neighbors haul their groceries, and made myself useful wherever I could. Page cooked for folks who couldn’t cook for themselves and delivered hot meals to those too sick or broke to afford delivery. We did it because we could. Because it was right.

But now, we’re the ones who need help.

Page’s health has taken a turn—COPD, repeated falls, possible TIAs, a lifeflight to San Antonio, and a whole lineup of medications that barely keep her breathing. The pesticides used to treat the roaches, mice, and bedbugs didn’t help.

I’ve had two rounds of bedbugs in my apartment since September. I went through hell dragging everything I own—bagged and sealed—onto the balcony to try to kill them off during heat treatments. I’ve dealt with mice, roaches, and a deeply indifferent management team. It’s not safe. It’s not clean. And it’s not right.

Page was evicted in the dead of winter—17 degrees outside—with nowhere to go. She slept in my car for several nights because there are no open female shelters in town. When she stayed with me, I was given violation notices. Management has now told me my lease will not be renewed either.

We’ve tried to remain calm, respectful, and direct. We’ve documented everything. HUD-VASH has listened and is helping us move to a safer, cleaner place close by.

But here’s the thing: we have no way to get there.

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How You Can Help

We’ve spent everything we had on a safe, pet-friendly motel. Now, we need help covering the costs of getting out of the fire and into someplace safe.

Here’s what your donation could cover:

• $25 – Groceries or cat/dog food

• $50 – Gas for the move

• $100 – One night of safe lodging

• $100 – Rental truck deposit

• $250 – One month of storage

• $500 – Apartment cleaning & fumigation fees we’re still being charged on the way out

We’re not looking for sympathy—just a bit of help to get through this rough patch. We’ve spent our lives in service to others. Now we’re asking for kindness, however small, to help us keep going with dignity.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to “support our veterans,” this is it.

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We’re not asking for a handout. We’re asking for a lifeline.

If you believe in showing up for people when they need it most—this is that moment.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for helping us start again.

With gratitude,

Lonnie

Veteran, Neighbor, Friend