FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Homeless veterans may soon have access to clothing, a hot shower and other resources under one roof.
“We gotta give them places to take showers, to have an address to have a phone number,” said Mike Ackels, 469 Cycle Shop owner. “We are not giving handouts, we are giving hand ups.”
On Saturday, Clothes for Joes held the official kickoff ceremony for its capital campaign, which is set to raise $250,000 to get its Veterans’ Service Center up and running around Veterans Day. The center will include Clothes for Joes signature hand-up of free clothes, but also showers and bathrooms, laundry facilities, an address and mailboxes for use, mental health and addiction services.
Chairman and Executive Director of Clothes for Joes, Andrew Messmer, says sometimes homeless veterans need a hand-up to help themselves. He argues that help should not be hard to get…