Tester shocked by veterans' needs

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said Friday in Kalispell that he was shocked by the level of need among Montana veterans for services including food and housing, and medical and mental-health care.

"I don't think we've put enough priority on the people who have served their country," Tester said.

Tester scheduled a stop at Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry in Kalispell as part of a statewide look at the effectiveness of service delivery to veterans.

"These are the folks who work on the ground," Tester said as he met with Allen and Linda Erickson, founders of the pantry and the Veterans Stand Down.

As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Tester said he wanted to view "the whole package" of veteran help from government organizations like the VA clinics to community-based nonprofits such as the veterans food pantry.

During his tour, Tester learned that two out of three veterans are homeless when they first come into the pantry. Linda Erickson estimated the homeless at about 35 percent to 40 percent of their clientele.

"This agency has just exploded," since opening its doors in 2002, she said. "We basically treat vets right off the street."

Erickson said the food pantry obtains 75 percent of its food and money donations from the community and area businesses. The agency receives a small amount of government commodities and a small per diem grant from VA homeless funding.

Although the facility doesn't provide beds, veterans can take showers, wash laundry, and receive clothing and referrals to government agencies for assistance. To qualify, a veteran cannot receive income above 150 percent of the federal poverty line.

Allen Erickson described their mission to Tester as "just a bunch of veterans helping other veterans." He said it works because many don't trust the government enough to seek services.

"We still get vets who are apprehensive about coming in here," he said. "Once we get them in, we can really start getting them help."

Linda Erickson said that "for every homeless vet you see, there are 10 in the woods that you don't see." She added that people have a misconception about veterans seeking help with food and housing.

She said many people envision their clientele as just World War II or Vietnam-era vets.

According to Erickson, the pantry has recently served eight Iraq War veterans with young families. At their 8th annual Stand Down outreach in Libby in October, the veterans seeking help included 43 women and 300 veterans who had never attended an event before.

After touring the building, Tester said he was impressed with the work accomplished by the agency with the facility they have. The food pantry operates out of an aging building off Montana 35 which they maintain with about $46,000 in cash donations.

Before Tester's arrival, Allen Erickson said he would ask for the senator's help to obtain $500,000 to pay off the property and build a new two-story building.

The Ericksons gave Tester statistics showing that they distributed more than 80,000 pounds of food to 1,235 veterans' households in 2006. They said they have seen many people turn their lives around with the helping hand they provide.

Allen Erickson recalled one man who came in the food pantry dirty, without hope and desperate.

"Three years later he came in clean-shaven, with a haircut and working," he said with a smile. "That's such a great thing."

In an interview after the tour, Tester said he sees the need for veterans' services only increasing, particularly with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"There's a lot of vets that need help," he said.

With the information gathered in Montana, he said he wants to go back to Washington, D.C., and do what's right for veterans. Tester said he also wanted to make sure that resources, such as the $6.3 billion increase the government invested for services over the previous year, were distributed where they would do the most good.

"In the last year, I've learned a ton," Tester said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com