For the past four years Ralph Thomas navigated a 40-ton, 18-wheeler semitrailer transporting cranes and bulldozers across the country, using Texas as home base.
Life was good. Not necessarily great, but good.
In May 2010, the 58-year-old big rig veteran hit a snag at the Port of Entry outside Laurel. While waiting to get the maintenance problem resolved, Thomas scouted the area looking for possible opportunities. He liked what he saw, decided to give up his vagabond life as a truck driver, and chose to make Billings his home.
But his credit history was abysmal and his track record with landlords was worse.
He spent more than three months living at the Montana Rescue Mission and Independence Hall, a transitional housing facility for veterans, before looking for permanent housing.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served five years in Vietnam, Thomas begrudgingly turned to the Department of Veterans Affairs office in Billings. He was able to secure a housing voucher through the HUD-VASH program — and in turn a "comfortable, quiet" one-bedroom apartment with laundry facilities. It is the first time in four years he has a permanent address.
While traveling in his semitrailer, Thomas would occasionally check into a flea-bag motel or catch some shut eye in his sleeper cab. The few possessions he had were in storage.
"I wasn't able to afford a place to live," Thomas said.
The HUD-VASH program is a partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide subsidized housing vouchers for eligible homeless veterans.
Veterans must pay a portion of the monthly rent directly to the landlord. This is equal to 30-40 percent of their gross monthly income, with a minimum of $50 per month. The housing authority pays the rest.
The goal is to help the chronically homeless establish roots and help them get work.
The number of homeless veterans statewide isn't known, but the VA tracks how many calls it receives from homeless veterans. Based on those calls, there may be more than 250 homeless vets in Montana.
The VA office in Billings has issued 41 such vouchers since the program began in 2009.
Tammy O'Shea, a licensed clinical social worker and HUD-VASH coordinator in Billings, said the program is a not a handout.
"They served our country," O'Shea said. "Everybody needs help every now and then whether it is from society or from family. Several things happened at once that put Mr. Thomas in a bind."
Having a place to call home has freed him from the daily stress of worrying about where he would rest his head at night.
"I didn't have a clear mind," Thomas said. "This apartment allows me to better myself and try to get my feet on the ground again. It's helping me succeed in other parts of my life."
Since he found a home, Thomas has found a part-time job working at St. Vincent de Paul, a nonprofit social service organization.
