Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program

08/30/2026

Value of Veterans - Employment in Geogia

Have you ever thought how many Georgia businesses are started by Veterans, or how many people Veteran owned businesses hire and provide jobs for. Not that any of our elected officials at the local, state, and Federal know this, but just in Cherokee County the last Census noted that there are over 300 Veteran owned businesses in the county. As I mentioned after my comments with a state representative, it is time that we put a value on what Veterans do for this state. Please find our new Veteran employment flier that we created pulling data from multiple sites.

Next time you run into a Veteran don't just say, "thanks for your service' , but maybe "thank you for hiring me and helping me afford a house and feed my family."

08/28/2026

What is the Value of Veterans in Georgia

I recently attended a focus group that talked about various topics about our government and what should be changed or what is important to us. As one of the Veterans attending this session I talked about several issues facing our Veterans today. During this session I was asked "Why Should the State of Georgia spend money on our Veterans". I was somewhat taken back by this since it was an elected official that asked me this question. I did have some quick data to share, but I realized that Veterans needed a better set of talking points on what we do for the State of Georgia. After much research and data collection using reliable data sources, I thought you might like to see the impact that we bring to the State.

You can replace the American Legion logo with our other Veteran groups, but did anyone ever think that we make such an impact. I will be creating more of these posters showing other Veteran impacts on the State of Georgia in the coming weeks.

Veterans can be proud of what we have done to secure and defend this great country, and we should not shy away from what we bring to Georgia. The issue now is "What is Georgia going to do for Veterans knowing what we bring to the table"

07/08/2026

What is a donate vehicle worth to Veterans who need one and do not have one.

CBS Atlanta did a follow-up news piece on the 4 vehicles that we donated last week and rather than just put it out there that we donated them to Veterans, Brian Unger the reporter wanted to get more in depth into the program and how it helped Veterans.

His questions were probing, a lot more that I have had in the past, but we are not just giving an old vehicle to Veterans in need, but we are giving them a lifeline and some level of freedom for them and their families.

This is just a short segment,

Reliable transportation is often one of the biggest barriers to ensuring access to services, so an organization is stepping in to help some of Georgia's veterans get their own set of wheels.

07/03/2026

Local Veterans and Team Depot clean up Homeless Veterans Statue ahead of July 4th

Thanks to a Home Depot Foundation grant and the volunteer labor from local Veterans and area Home Depots the nations only Homeless Veteran Statue is cleaned and ready for visitors of the Cherokee Veterans park to sit and enjoy the statue and flags that are on display.

Funded by the local Veteran community and Joe Hickey of Canton Funeral Home this statue is the only one of its kind in the Nation depicting a homeless Male and Female soldier. It is a reminder that even with our 250th anniversary of our country that there have been homeless Veterans throughout our history. Veterans have pledged their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy and take advantage of each and every day.

We are proud to partner with the local Home Depots and the employees called Team Depot. This company has over 38,000 Veterans as employees throughout their footprint in America.

On behalf of the team that was there on Monday the 29th I would like to say have a great 4th of July.

07/03/2026

Happy 4th of July

Ahead of the 250th Anniversary of our Nation, our program wanted to provide special donations to some of our Veterans in need of transportation. Yesterday, our program donated not three vehicles but with our partner Cherokee Mitsubishi we donated four (4) vehicles to Veterans in need of transportation. Three of the Veteran s are 100% SC VA rated as disabled and the fourth Veteran is struggling to keep up with three jobs.

Unlike other car donation programs, our program delivers Vehicles, 86 of them so far in 9 years, to those who need them. Here is the link to the Cherokee Tribune article that was done on donations 83, 84 and 85. So far we have had 122 vehicles donated to our program with only 86 making it to being donatable. The others were sold at auction and used to fund the repairs we have had to do on the 86 vehicles. Of the 86 road ready vehicles we have 78 of the ones donated still in operation. After Vetting of the Veterans to make sure they fit our program we donated the vehicle and sign over the title for $1 to make it a legal transfer.

If you have an older vehicle or a spare not doing anything we can provide you a tax deduction for your vehicle and make sure your vehicle goes to a Veteran in need in Georgia.

06/09/2026

Are you 100% VA SC P&T Disabled? Have you filed for SSDI? You need to know this and take action.

For Years we have been fighting for the VA and SSA to come together to let 100% VA SC P&T Disabled Veterans know that there additional benefits that may be available to them from the SSA. The VA is never going to tell you that this benefit exists as it is not in their interest to help Veterans. With the financial issues that are caused by disabled Veterans living on just VA disability you would think that they would want to tell you about an additional financial benefit this could bring in as much as another $2,000 a month.

We first brought this up to our Congressman five years ago and also testified before the VA Congressional office three years ago, but nothing has moved on putting a single sentence on the VA Award letter that states "that you may be eligible for additional benefits from the SSA". The reason is that there has been no Republican or Democrat push to pass an appropriations bill that would move funds from the SSA to the VA to pay for the ink.

This is how stupid our elected officials are. They are happy to have Disabled Veteran's not get our owed benefits and save the government funds that could help a Veteran and his family apply for housing, a home and other needed items that are out of their reach do to lack of financial stability. You cannot live on $3900+ for the rest of your life when the apartments are requiring that you pass the 3:1 rent to income ration. With the additional funds you can get approved quickly

Don't be fooled by reading this flyer and thinking that you can get expedited assistance as I have 32 Veterans that I am currently working on getting SSDI and many are being told it can take up to 8-10 months for approval.

This is Government BS - to file you need your VA Award letter and your DD214. Take this flyer with you and walk into the SSA office and see if they take you in..... Not seen this either. Once you do file immediately contact your local Senator or Congressman. This will put a fire on the SSA ..hopefully. Most of you will get a denial letter. In the letter it will tell you why you were not approved - many times it is due to the VA not providing access to your medical service records. If you get this letter again file with your congressman or Senator and demand they fix this.

Lastly, when you finally get approved - cash the check first then file for back pay. When you were awarded 100% VA SC P&T disability status this award was sent to the SSA waiting for you to file for SSDI. You may be able to get backpay from the SSA going back to the original date of your VA disability rating.

If you have questions, contact me as we have helped hundreds of Veterans get the benefits they deserve.

05/28/2026

Homeless Veterans Do you know who they are and what they have done

I ran into this website and its videos and have to remember that when you encounter a homeless Veteran just who they really are or what they did. I recall talking to one of our local Vietnam Veterans who upon returning from Combat and getting out of the Army found himself homeless. He now runs and has for year run a successful business here in Cherokee County.

I spend many hours each day talking, listening, helping many Veterans who have been forgotten and are struggling to deal with issues they have encountered as a result of their time in Service and Combat. Rather than look down on these people who are trying to get their life back and return to society walk a mile in their boots.

The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans – A multi-award-winning documentary about homeless American veterans, why they are sleeping on the streets and under freeway bridges, and what we, the A…

05/25/2026

Remembering fallen company mates from F2Zoo

Almost 50 years ago 33 young men came to West Point to hopefully graduate the Long Gray line. Over 46 years later those of us who graduated together from F2 "The Zoo" still stay in touch via different ways. Sadly two of our classmates and friends are not with us and as this Memorial Day brings me to remember them with tears in my eyes.

Doug Renbarger and Drew Harrington graduated with the other 31 members of F2 and struck out to tame the Army. Drew was the first to pass during a jump with his Ranger team and Doug left us years later post-retirement in a fire trying to save his pet.

I will forever remember both of them and hope that we will meet again years from now. God Bless both of you and thank you for being part of my life.

04/20/2026

Veterans and the 24 month Rule for Military Service.

Another Veteran has come up under the 24 month time in service question and currently is being told he does not meet this rule. He currently is being treated by the VA medical under "Humanitarian" status.

The 24 month rule is out there and there are exceptions to this rule that override the 24 month time requirement. I am placing information below so that you can understand how to challenge this rule.

Understanding the 24-Month Military Rule

The 24-month military rule is a federal requirement that sets the minimum active-duty service length for certain veterans’ benefits, particularly those administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

What the Rule Means
Under 38 U.S.C. § 5303A and 38 CFR § 3.12a, if you:

Enlisted after September 7, 1980 in a regular component of the Armed Forces, or

Entered active duty after October 16, 1981 without already completing 24 months of continuous active duty,

you must serve at least 24 continuous months of active duty, or the full period you were called or ordered to active duty — whichever is shorter legalclarity.org+1.

If you fall short of this requirement, you generally lose eligibility for VA benefits based on that period of service LII / Legal Information Institute.

Who It Applies To
Enlisted personnel who joined after September 7, 1980.

Any service member (officer or enlisted) who entered active duty after October 16, 1981 and had not already met the 24-month threshold LII / Legal Information Institute.
Exceptions
The 24-month rule does not apply if you:

Served before September 7, 1980 — even a single day of active service can count if your discharge was acceptable legalclarity.org.

Were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable (e.g., hardship, early out, disability discharge) Veterans Affairs.

Were discharged for a disability caused or worsened by service, or for hardship/early out Veterans Affairs.

04/19/2026

STUDY SHOWS 100% SC VA DISABLED VETERANS CANNOT QUALIFY FOR ANY/NONE OF THE OVER 10,000 APARTMENTS IN CHEROKEE COUNTY AND MOST LIKELY ANY OTHER COUNTY. WHAT IS WORSE IS THAT OUR STATE GOVERNMENT FAILED TO SUPPORT THESE VETERAN BY NOT MOVING ON THE "HOMES FOR HERO'S BILL.

Last summer and continuing today, our program has met with and talked to every apartment complex in Cherokee County and due to the 3:1 income to rent ratio EVERY 100% SC disabled Veteran does not make enough income to apply for any of the over 10,000 apartments.

In our study that is published on our website https://www.cherokeehomelessvets.com/ every apartment complex now utilizes 3rd party companies for processing applications. After you put in the cost of the apartment the second question is "How much to you Make". When these Veterans put in that they only make $3,983 per month they then get notified that they are not approved due to not meeting the 3:1 income to rent ratio.

We had attempted to put a bill through Jason Dickerson that would allow these disabled Veterans to qualify at a reasonable 2:1 rent to income with the stipulation that the Veteran provide a copy of their VA award letter verifying their level of disability. THIS BILL NEVER MADE IT OUT OF COMMITTEE -

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT OUR STATE LEGISLATURE DOES NOT WANT TO SUPPORT OUR DISABLED VETERANS WHO HONORABLY SERVED THIS COUNTRY?

We are going to again try and get this bill passed but if you get the chance call your state representative and tell them to help our disabled Veterans get the housing, schools, and benefits they deserve and have earned.