Veterans emerging from homelessness get a hand up
Roy Remone served his country honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1980 to 1986 aboard three ships in Italy, the Pacific and San Francisco, respectively.
But in 2011, he found himself coming out of a veteran-based homelessness program and facing an empty apartment that was provided to him by the program.
He heard about a couple, Damian and Mary Hambley, who provided free furniture to veterans out of the former commandant residence at the Butler VA on New Castle Road, and he was able to get some furniture for his apartment at that time.
“I had my struggles, and it was told to me that the best medicine to get over my own situation was to help others,” he said. “I found my passion for helping others at Veterans in Need.”
In addition to working as an intensive homeless case manager at a care center near Clearview Mall, Remone has been the Veterans in Need warehouse manager for many years at the building on North Main Street Extension.
“In 2023, we gave away 398 pieces of furniture,” he said. “When I went to get furniture from Mary and Damian, there were maybe two dressers and a couch, so it’s grown quite a bit.”
Eligible veterans can browse the warehouse and select the furniture they need.
Remone said all items are donated, and most come from the survivors of someone who has recently passed away. When furniture items are picked up, Remone and his volunteers often sit and chat with the family members, who are eager to tell stories of their late loved ones.
The warehouse is open one day per week to an person or family coming out of homelessness. They also must be referred by an agency, Remone said.
Many nonveterans get furniture at Veterans in Need because the Center for Community Resources in Butler closed its furniture warehouse in Bruin, Remone said.
“Up to four families per month get furniture, if needed,” he said.
John Cyprian, the retired county Veterans Affairs director, now heads up the Veterans in Need organization, as the Hambleys are in their 90s.
“I took it over in 2016 and made it a 501(c)(3), with blessings from the Hambleys that I become president,” Cyprian said.
Because of the organization’s nonprofit status, monetary donations to help veterans out of challenging situations are now accepted.
“Since 2016, we’ve given away nearly $200,000 in cash,” Cyprian said.
He said neither he nor anyone involved with Veterans in Need receive compensation for their time or work.
“When people donate monetarily, it goes right back out to the veterans,” Cyprian said.
Cyprian said in years past, veterans sometimes received financial assistance from their local American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars if they found themselves facing an expense they could not afford.
Cyprian said he worried that scammers could feasibly get their hands on money meant for veterans in that setup.
“We said (to veteran organizations) ‘we don’t want to step on your toes, but let us do the vetting,’” Cyprian said.
To receive financial assistance, Cyprian said veterans must be approved by the organization’s board of directors after their paperwork passes under the exacting eye of Shawnee Young, director of the county Veterans Affairs office, who determines if the veteran owes court fees, child support or some other obligation.
Once the veteran’s application makes it through the Veterans Affairs office, the Veterans in Need board of directors determines whether the need meets its bylaws.
The maximum amount distributed is $1,600, and that veteran cannot ask for funds again for two years, but special circumstances can up that amount.
“We had one veteran whose well collapsed and he needed $18,000,” Cyprian said. “We were able to donate at least $9,000 of that. He had some young kids, which we took into consideration.”
In another instance, the spouse of a veteran was experiencing expensive medical issues and received $2,000 from Veterans in Need.
“I’m so proud of our board of directors for what they do,” Cyprian said.
But he is even prouder of the citizens and organizations in Butler County that have donated to and helped Veterans in Need.
He said Realtors will sometimes call with furniture donations from homes they are selling.
“One lady donated a car,” Cyprian said. “A 2017 Kia Sportage. It’s the company vehicle for when we go look at furniture.”
Another man offered Veterans in Need a discount on the purchase of a box truck.
“We are now able to go pick up the furniture with the truck instead of using our own personal vehicles, which is what we were doing,” Cyprian said.
He said many veterans who conquer their struggles and defeat homelessness come back and volunteer at Veterans in Need, like Remone did.
Cyprian is not surprised at the generosity shown to veterans here.
“I think Butler County is one of the most patriotic counties I’ve ever encountered,” Cyprian said. “Being a two-time past president of (the Pennsylvania State Association of County Veterans Directors), I know what all 67 counties do, and there’s nothing like this program in any other county.”
Damian Hambley, 92, a Navy veteran who served from 1949 to 1953, recalls the organization’s infancy.
“We volunteered at the VA, and some veterans needed furniture, so I started going out and collecting furniture,” he said.
The furniture came from people the Hambleys knew who wanted to donate, and from families who had lost a member and were looking to donate their items.
Hambley is proud of the growth seen by Veterans in Need, and he answers simply when asked why the program is important.
“Because the veterans need something,” he said.
Hambley, of Boyers, said he is proud to live in a county with such generous residents.
“You’d be surprised at the people who want to help the veterans,” he said. “A lot of them feel gratitude because the veterans protect the USA.”
His wife, Mary, said the program began when the American Legion auxiliary looked to initiate a program for homeless veterans.
“My husband and some others at the Legion thought furniture would be helpful,” she said. “That’s when it started.”
Mary Hambley said no matter one’s age or status, America’s veterans should be supported by all.
“We can’t do enough to thank them for all the sacrifices they’ve made,” she said.
To donate furniture or volunteer, call 724-290-9204 and leave a name and number. To donate money, visit bcvin.org or send a check to Veterans in Need Funds, 143 Denny Road, Valencia, PA 16059. Make checks payable to “Veterans in Need Funds.”
