Larry Benitez’s days are brighter now. He considers the Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO) to be Godsent. For years, the Army veteran lived in survival mode, experiencing what he describes as rough days and nights. He was unhoused and struggled to find stable work. But with one phone call, Benitez said he was connected to the VEO, and his life changed forever.
“Ain’t no more dark days, I’ll say that,” Benitez said. “First of all, they took me off the street, gave me a place.”
For a special Veterans Day edition of “Closer Look,” program host Rose Scott and the team stopped by the VEO’s Atlanta campus for a tour of its facilities. During the visit, Scott talked more with Benitez and Marine Corps veteran Michael Joseph. She also spoke with VEO’s CEO, Marine Corps veteran Stewart Williams, and Erin Izen, the executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. They discussed further how the two organizations are partnering to end veteran homelessness.
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