The Family Groove | Charity of the Month

STAND BY ME
OPERATION HOMEFRONT BACKS OUR TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES
WITH HELP, HOUSING, AND HOPE FOR A SAFE AND EASY RETURN

Operation Homefront has 4,500-plus volunteers in 30 chapters
nationwide that provide critical assistance to more than 45,000
military families during their times of need. We at THE FAMILY
GROOVE could not think of a better organization to support than
one that offers a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness to the brave men and women who defend those
inalienable rights at home and abroad.

Here, THE FAMILY GROOVE talks to Amy Palmer, Operation Homefront’s chief operating officer, about the organization that serves the ones who protect us.

THE FAMILY GROOVE: When and where was Operation Homefront started?
AMY PALMER: Operation Homefront began with a small group of military family members who stepped up to help other military families struggling with the wave of deployments that followed September 11. Today, the organization’s mission is to provide emergency assistance and morale to deployed service members, the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home. A nonprofit 501(c)(3), Operation Homefront provides everything from one-time needs such as paying a mortgage for a family that must choose between that or getting the furnace fixed to helping families of severely injured soldiers. Many of these families face a time gap between filing paperwork and actually receiving disability payments. These gaps in income—sometimes as long as six months—can cause financial crisis or even homelessness. In response to these needs, Operation Homefront provides a host of programs to assist with housing, food, transportation, home and car repairs, and many other needs. Operation Homefront is now headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

TFG: What was your personal inspiration for starting the organization?
AP: As a disabled veteran, military spouse and mother, I know firsthand the challenges facing military families. I began organizing volunteers shortly after September 11 to help provide critical assistance to the families of newly deployed service members.

TFG: Operation Homefront has a large and dedicated volunteer base nationwide and has managed to raise/collect an impressive amount of money, goods and services. How does it get the word out?
AP: Because of its 30 state chapters serving 37 states with more than 4,500 volunteers, grassroots support has raised tremendous awareness of the organization throughout the military community and beyond. In addition, Operation Homefront connects thousands of military spouses through the online community Operation Homefront Online (www.homefrontonline.com). This interaction has also raised awareness. National and state programs, special events and fundraisers have drawn support from individual donors, businesses and corporations, and also garnered the attention of local and national media. Collectively, these all work together to spread the news about the plight of military families and how Operation Homefront assists them.

TFG: The organization gives 92 cents of every dollar to those in need, using only 8 percent to cover its overhead. To what do you attribute Operation Homefront’s ability to operate in such a cost-effective way?
AP: The cost of running the organization is kept down largely because there are so many volunteers working on behalf of military families, and we have a national staff of only 23 people. This drives the donations and funding directly to the people who need it. This kind of stewardship led Operation Homefront to receive a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading charity evaluator.

TFG: What are the short-term and long-term goals of the organization?
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AP: Ensuring housing for military families at risk of becoming homeless remains both a short-term and long-term goal. This is why the organization has opened two free transitional housing complexes for wounded warriors and their families—one in San Antonio near Brooke Army Medical Center, and one in the Washington, D.C., region near Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This is a program the organization would like to expand. Another goal is to move beyond emergency or one-time assistance in order to provide more programs aimed at assisting returning veterans in making a full and successful transition to civilian life. This would involve financial counseling, assistance in re-entering the job market, job programs for military spouses and long-term housing options.

TFG: What, if any, are the parameters to the help the organization will give?
AP: Case workers at both the national and chapter levels are trained in determining eligibility for assistance. In most cases—about 70 percent—command officials, chaplains, military family support centers and other military nonprofit organizations refer families to Operation Homefront. As a rule, most of those who receive assistance are enlisted personnel in the rank of E-6 and below, although extenuating circumstances based on critical needs may lead to assistance for other service members and their families. All those who receive assistance must fill out an application to prove financial need.

TFG: What topics are covered in Operation Homefront’s online magazine for military wives and women in uniform?
AP: The website provides articles relevant to military spouses and female service members, such as those about military life, marriage and relationships, finances, spirituality, health and fitness. It also offers updates on legislative issues that affect military families. In addition, there are online forums so that spouses can connect with each other, vent, sound off and find support from one another.

TFG: What do our readers need to know about our troops?
AP: Your readers may not be aware of the financial crisis facing many families of deployed service members, and particularly, the problems among our returning injured troops. The war has created a housing crisis for returning veterans. Wounded service members discharged from the military must leave base housing, often before they receive VA compensation. Those who are hospitalized may have a long recovery, then long-term physical rehabilitation. Their families may be stationed miles away and may not have the resources to move or places to stay when they get there. Still others return from combat physically healthy but with symptoms of PTSD. They may be too debilitated by their war experience to hold down a job, and thus they can’t work. For all these reasons and more, injured troops and their families can find themselves without an income and without housing or the means to pay for it.

TFG: Will you share a particular story of how Operation Homefront helped?
AP: I’d be happy to. Simon Heine deployed to Iraq, leaving behind his wife, three children and a handicapped sister. When he returned, he was suffering from severe PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The family cleared out of base housing and had no place to go. They contacted us for help and ended up driving down from El Paso in one night and moving into the model unit before [transitional housing community] OH Village was even opened. His family continued to stay at the Village while Simon received in-patient treatment. When the family was reunited and ready to move on, we connected them with a financial counselor and a Realtor. We’re also working with a city program that may be able to assist them with housing funds. When families are going through these crises and living on $800 or $900 a month, we can ease the strain. Right now, we house 19 families in San Antonio and 14 in D.C. They live rent-free in fully furnished two- and three-bedroom units with computers, Internet access, a pool, a community center, on-site financial counseling, weekly men’s groups and other special activities. These are the kinds of emergency services we can provide.

TFG: What can our readers do to help?
AP: There are numerous ways to help. People can volunteer at a chapter, become a provider of discounted or pro bono services, or organize a fundraiser. There are opportunities at both the national and state levels, such as the Freedom Walks in September and the toy drives during the holidays. We have an Easter basket program and a back-to-school backpack program, plus a number of other opportunities listed on our website, www.operationhomefront.net. Here, you can also learn whether there is a chapter in your state.

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