My Brothers House CEO Dr. Remolia Simpson, addresses Philadelphia City Hall on veterans’ issues
As the leaves continue falling from the trees and the calendar, I awoke at a quarter to early this morning, thinking about our men and women in uniform. Every day, they resolve to defend us all, fully aware of the dangers inherent in serving our country. With Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas close aboard, I reflected on how, too often, when these soldiers and sailors return to civilian life, there is nothing waiting for them, but another battlefield. This struggle takes place, not in some obscure jungle, mountainside, or hidden sea, but right here on the streets of our own communities. Our veterans survive military service, sometimes coming back far less whole than when they were sworn in, and end up fighting the elements and their own demons—demons which, in many cases, were inflicted upon them by We, The People.
I thought, too, of how some of us recognize this as a grave injustice, and so set about addressing and rectifying the problem. These are people like Dr. Remolia Simpson, an Army veteran from Easton, Pennsylvania, who has created a nonprofit dedicated to getting her comrades-in-arms, and their families, off the streets and into safe, supportive housing. Her group, My Brothers House, has been up and going for just 18 months, but in that short sliver of time, its impact has been undeniable. Dr. Simpson and her team of volunteers, professionals, and community advocates have made it abundantly clear that for those who fought to keep us free, there are people fighting for them. In a political climate where funding for homeless veterans' groups is being cut by the White House, that fight is getting tougher. Simpson is undaunted. “Our veterans should never have to sleep in the streets,” she says, “and we owe them all a debt, which My Brothers House works hard to repay.” The organization operates residences in Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland, and offers short-term counseling to its clients in addition to transitional and long-term housing services. “We believe our veterans deserve our help,” Simpson points out.
My Brothers House works closely with other veterans’ groups, such as VALOR and the Women Veteran Command Center in Philadelphia, in a cooperative effort to accomplish their missions. Because “all veterans matter”, Simpson notes, My Brothers House also supports the thousands of LGBTQ veterans in need of assistance, who face unique challenges when their discharge date looms. “Often, these troops can’t go back home to friends and family,” Simpson observes. To address this state of affairs, My Brothers House will soon open a Philadelphia LGBTQ Veterans' Residence, where the troops of the rainbow can live free of homo- and transphobia that sometimes plagues other soldiers’ homes.
Corporate America is joining in, too, as demonstrated by the volunteers of Team Home Depot in Easton, who have awarded a grant to My Brothers House. This project, led by Store Captain Tim Oakley, Store Manager Susan Froude, District Manager Dave Amato, and District Captain Brad Hendershot, is part of the home-improvement giant’s Home Depot Foundation operation, which “improves the homes and lives of U.S. military veterans”. Beginning this Thursday, the company’s own army of 30-plus workers will renovate the Easton residence, enhancing its value as a place our troops can call their own. Local public officials, like Mayor Sal Panto, will be on hand to encourage their efforts. As winter’s chill returns once again, with short, blustery days and frigid, lifeless nights, Dr. Simpson and My Brothers House are working hard to give the gift of a warm bed, and a solid overhead roof, to all the men and women who gave of themselves, so that we could enjoy those very same comforts in freedom and peace. “We can do no less for all those who made sacrifices for us,” Simpson vows. I heartily concur. (Disclosure: I work with My Brothers House, managing the group’s LGBT Affairs.)