A Passage to Hope

In the family room of Passageways Living Center there sits an American flag created with a series of wooden blocks. Each block is slightly different. There are plain red blocks and plain white blocks. There are blue blocks with small stars on them; the number of stars fluctuate depending on the particular block. The blocks jut out from the “canvas” at different heights, creating a variety of shadows dependent on the light in the room. Military veterans sit in that family room each evening, some old, some young. Their wars and their ranks vary. The shadows cast on them from their military experience can be dark. But, for the time being, they have found a home.

Five years ago, Jennifer Garrison and her stepmother Susan Moellinger heard about a homeless veteran who died alone under a bridge.

“It lit a fire in us. We started investigating everyone involved with the homeless to see where these heroes could go to get on their feet,” Garrison said.

There were programs to put a roof over the head of the homeless. But when Garrison and Moellinger searched for a program that would offer a comprehensive plan to help turn around the lives of homeless veterans, they came up empty.

“There was nothing. So we talked and prayed about it for a few weeks and both walked away from our careers,” Garrison said.

Today, Passageways Living Center houses up to nine male residents, or “heroes,” in the parlance of Garrison and Moellinger. It’s not hard to see why they use that term.

“Ninety percent of the heroes we have have PTSD. Some form of it. We had one guy who woke up one morning and he was out in our old shed and crawled back behind some furniture. He doesn’t remember going there. He just woke up back there,” Moellinger said.

Once the veterans walk in the front door of the Passageways house in a quiet west Wichita neighborhood, they enter an immersive experience designed to provide comfort and a sense of coming home. The address is a secret. And for good reason.

“They don’t have to worry about their party buddies coming, or ‘I know you got paid, let’s go get high.’ This gives them a new beginning,” Garrison said.

Most of the veterans come through the door with little but the clothes on their back. Many have been robbed at gunpoint while living on the streets. Each man is allowed a couple of days to simply adjust to the new environment, and to finally eat well.

“They gain about 10 to 15 pounds a piece when they move in here,” Garrison said.

Much of that weight is thanks to the many restaurants that donate food. Panera, Picasso Pizza, The Bomb BBQ, Mosley Street, Kansas Food Bank, and various food trucks all provide food for the veterans.

Once they have a few days to orient themselves to the new environment, the veterans create goals on how to turn their life around and begin to work to achieve them. If a veteran needs a car, Passageways will pay for the tax and title. If they need a job, and almost all of them do, Garrison and Moellinger use their network of contacts with local employers to place the veteran with a local company. But not just any job.

“Don’t just get any job, get one that you’ll look forward to going to,” Garrison said.

With partners across the community, and good relationships with the local charity infrastructure, Passageways has achieved much success. And they’ve done it without any money from the government. So far they have graduated 86 veterans. No one could say they’ve been a failure. But they want to do more. The result is the Homefront Veteran Neighborhood.

“We’ve been keeping it quiet for over two years,” Garrison said.

In the shape of the Wichita flag, this gated community near I-235 and Seneca will contain 30 apartment-sized homes. The materials will be donated by Star Lumber and the Wichita Area Builders Association. Designed by architect Brandon Salisbury at Craig Sharpe Homes, the community is slated to open in May 2020. Garrison and Moellinger give thanks to a bevy of local governmental officials for cutting the red tape that might have held up a project of this size. They specifically name Michael O’Donnell, Jeff Blubaugh, Brian Fry, James Clendenin, Mayor Jeff Longwell, and the staff at the Planning Commission for working to make the project happen.

In addition to single male veterans, this new housing development will be able to welcome two underserved populations: homeless female veterans and homeless veterans with families. With a five-acre pond, an amphitheater and gated access, the community is designed to be both a safe place and a relaxing home for the veteran residents. Depending on their needs, veterans will live in either a 700 sq ft one-bedroom home or a 1000 sq ft two-bedroom version. Each home will feature a stackable washer/dryer, safe room and porch.

War has cast a shadow over the lives of many of these homeless veterans. Moellinger and Garrison aim to make their lives a little easier and help shine a light on the problems they face. Their biggest challenge?

“Not being able to get them all,” Garrison said.