From Homelessness to Home, Vet Gets New Housing

Someone told Anthony Johnson “no” and changed his life. 

For six months the disabled U.S. Army veteran battled mental health problems and alcoholism while cycling through a series of hospitalizations after losing the two-bedroom house he rented in Wappingers Falls, NY.

That unstable existence changed when he was rejected for a stay at Castle Point VA Medical Center but told about the veterans’ program Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill runs at Jan Peek House. 

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them saying no,” Johnson said. 

At Jan Peek, Johnson found a special housing area for veterans and Digna Merchan, Jan Peek’s veterans case manager. He also found safety and a caring staff “that monitors that place in a positive way” and “is always there for you.” 

After arriving in January, he left at the end of February for his own one-bedroom apartment in Poughkeepsie. 

“The shelter is not the worst place; it is a beginning, and especially at Jan Peek,” Johnson, 59, said. “That’s the best shelter I’ve ever been in.” 

Johnson found himself homeless in July 2019. The house he rented in Wappingers Falls was “too expensive,” he said. 

Being homeless was “rough,” Johnson said. His fortunes changed, however, when Castle Point refused to admit him but paid for an Uber ride to Jan Peek. 

“It gave me a place that I needed to be when I needed a place to be where I could relax and get my thoughts together,” Johnson said of Jan Peek. “And I needed to be in a peaceful environment.” 

His once-empty apartment is now filling up.  

My Brother Vinny donated a mattress and bed, dresser, tables and chairs, and a television. Johnson is expecting to return to work in May, either at Castle Point or at the VA facility in Montrose. 

“I was blessed to end up at Jan Peek,” he said.