Johns Island, South Carolina According to Veterans Data, more than 100 veterans in South Carolina are homeless, but a local charity is providing more than just housing assistance.
Lowcountry Veterans offers transitional housing and support services to homeless veterans in Charleston, addressing the problems that many confront upon returning to civilian life following military service.
“We come from a very regimented type of environment to a more business type of environment,” said Rudolph J. Oremland, a U.S. Army veteran who has benefited from the group.
Case Manager Cheryl Jamison stated that many veterans who come to the group suffer from mental health concerns and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their military duty or other events.
“The gentleman that we receive here, a lot of them have mental health issues and PTSD that stems from their time in the military or just from their past that’s not military connected,” said Jamison. “So and they find themselves in not a good situation.”
Many military veterans return from years of service without enough preparation for civilian life, resulting in transition issues.
“My greatest flaw, or predicament, was my inability to adjust to civilian culture. “I struggled for years to adjust,” Oremland explained.
Oremland stated that Lowcountry Veterans has offered him both relief and stability.
“That I have a warm place to stay, a place, a shelter, a safety zone,” he told me.
In addition to housing, the charity offers meals and other services. Jamison stated that staff members strive to comprehend each veteran’s unique situation.
“We meet veterans wherever they are. If we know they’ve been living in their cars for a long time, we talk to them and learn their narrative, and their story tells us how we can help them,” she said.
Jason Michael Sommers, a member of the United States Air Force, struggled to adjust after leaving the service.
“I believe I had an issue until around three weeks after I came out. “I tried to enter Walmart, but there were too many people,” Sommers added.
Sommers stated that he kept his PTSD experiences to himself, which caused more trauma.
“You believe that you are broken, right? And being broken makes you feel weak, which we are not permitted to be. Sommers remarked, “You know, not just as a soldier, but also as a man.”
Lowcountry Veterans helps him to connect with other veterans who have been through similar experiences.
“Guys who can sit down and have done some of the same things I have, so you can get it off your chest, right? Carrying that item about is the death knell. Sommers remarked, “It’ll slowly eat you alive, but just being able to say it is invaluable.”
The organization’s primary purpose is to prepare veterans for independent life by assisting them in obtaining steady work and permanent housing before leaving the program.
