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He’s Not Expendable<br />
By: Dan Hyde / Call to Action<br />
Meet Timothy Bartley. I call him, and the<br />
thousands of others suffering a similar<br />
fate, homeless veterans in desperation.<br />
Mr. Bartley sits in his worn-down electric<br />
wheelchair looking for shade so he can escape the heat. That’s until<br />
the Salvation Army’s overnight shelter opens at 6:00 pm and provides<br />
shelter until 6 am the next day.<br />
The problem is that during the daytime when heat is at its worst,<br />
there is no place for him to seek shelter except under a tree, (if one is<br />
available). The other non-profits are suffering severe staffing shortages<br />
due to the pandemic and cannot provide daytime relief.<br />
Exasperating the problem for Mr. Bartley is that his wheelchair has<br />
limited operating time.<br />
Thus he has to be careful as to how far he goes so that he is not more<br />
than 50 feet from the shelter as he waits for it to open. What makes this<br />
problem horrific is that he is not the exception to the problem.<br />
I believe he personifies the agony that thousands of other Nevadans<br />
are going through each and every day. Take a very close look at his<br />
face.<br />
What I see is a deep sense of hopelessness, complete lack of self-esteem<br />
and a desperation that few of us have ever experienced. As the newest<br />
COVID mutation takes hold, people<br />
previously moved to volunteer to<br />
help have backed off because of fear<br />
that they will be a victim of COVID.<br />
So what to do?<br />
One suggestion is to consolidate<br />
all of the non-profits providing<br />
similar services under one<br />
operational roof, thus avoiding cost<br />
duplicity.<br />
By doing this, most every donated dollar would go to the core<br />
“business model.”<br />
Secondly, as I have mentioned many times before, replicate the<br />
success of the Veterans Village homeless compound spearheaded by<br />
Arnold Stalk and convert old railroad cars to safe and cost effective<br />
transitional housing.<br />
Finally, and perhaps the most difficult task is to “motivate” the<br />
politicians to act. That last one may seem impossible, but I’d rather<br />
focus on the probable.<br />
*Photo credit Eric Verduzco of the Las Vegas Review Journal.<br />
Dan Hyde is a passionate and effective advocate for the senior<br />
community. He can be reached at: dhyde9@cox.net.<br />
36<br />
September 20<strong>21</strong>
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