LeRoy served active duty in the Army during the Vietnam Era. His occupation was war supply, and he was honorably discharged as a Private E-2.

LeRoy and his wife connected to Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) through our community partner Miracle Hill of Spartanburg. By the time the Army veteran and his wife were referred to UWS, the couple had been homeless for over a year. They stayed in hotels when they could but were mainly living on the streets in downtown Spartanburg.

Upstate Warrior Solution partners with many organizations to serve the homeless veteran population in the Upstate of South Carolina. To assist this veteran and his family, our team leveraged partnerships with the Spartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network (SPIHN) and the Spartanburg County Veterans Affairs office to coordinate housing solutions and access to VA healthcare.

“It was a pleasure assisting Leroy and his wife, Mary.” Our Spartanburg Warrior Advocate Lauren O’Dell continued, “There isn’t any reason a veteran should ever be homeless, especially an elderly Vietnam veteran. So far, we have been able to assist Mr. Ridgeway and his wife, along with help from Spartanburg County Veterans Affairs and SPIHN, with providing housing, enrolling Leroy in VA healthcare, applying for Leroy VA benefits, hygiene items, provided food resources, linked him in with transportation to VA appointments, as well as many other smaller things.”

Because of this community collaboration, LeRoy and his wife had housing in time for the holidays. When our team spoke to the couple, the veteran’s wife said, “We are grateful for all of your help and for finding us a home again!”