Volunteers of America provides community for low-income veterans

Joliet — As hundreds of Illinois veterans struggle with the threat of homelessness, one organization is working to not only provide housing, but also to bring people together as a community.

Hope Manor Joliet is a Supportive Services for Veterans and Families facility located at 1331 Eagle St. It is operated by Volunteers of America, housing about 130 low-income people, prioritizing veterans and their immediate family members.

“We have so many amazing residents who have given their mind, body and soul to our country,” said Dontane Farmer, housing coordinator at Hope Manor Joliet. “This was a great opportunity for VOA since there are a lot of veterans out this way with nowhere to go.”

According to the Illinois Veterans Advisory Council’s 2023 annual report, there are more than 700 homeless veterans on the streets in Illinois on any given day, and almost 7% of Illinois veterans live near the poverty line. These issues often contribute to struggles with unemployment and mental health, problems that Volunteers of America is working to address at its Joliet facility.

We have the whole community out here. It’s great to be a part of helping people. We all live on this big old rock, and we need to help each other out.”

—  Dontane Farmer, housing coordinator at Hope Manor Joliet

In addition to apartments, Hope Manor Joliet provides access to mental health services – including a suicide prevention group – as well as exercise equipment, social activities, monthly job fairs with the Will County Veterans Affairs Commission, and a miniature library with computer access to help look for jobs or access other government services.

Hope Manor also has arranged partnerships with the VA and Silver Cross Hospital to provide services for the residents, and the staff will assist residents in moving to other, similar facilities around the country if they want to do so to be closer to family or work opportunities.

“We have the whole community out here,” Farmer said. “It’s great to be a part of helping people. We all live on this big old rock, and we need to help each other out.”

To qualify for housing at Hope Manor, individuals must be otherwise homeless for reasons including eviction, staying in a shelter or recently being released from prison. For residents who are unemployed and referred to the facility with a housing authority voucher, rent is free, while for other residents it is capped at 30% of their income, so they can keep funds for savings or expenses.

Although some residents, including older veterans, stay in the housing community long term, Farmer noted that many can move on to other housing after improving their financial situations.

“We have many success stories,” Farmer said. “We’ve had some people who are going through depression who we have connected with resources and gotten them back on track. We know things happen, and we want people to know we’re here for you.”

In addition to providing services on-site and providing access to additional resources, Hope Manor’s management has worked to foster positive relationships with the community since it opened in 2017.

Farmer said that active-duty service members from different branches have come out to Hope Manor to honor residents and raise the flag, while the Joliet Fire Department provided the facility with a new flag and installed it on the pole when the existing one was damaged in storms this summer.

Additionally, the facility has worked with The Mission Continues, a veterans group dedicated to community service, and receives donations of fresh food from Farm2Veteran, a nonprofit farm based in Manhattan that donates all its output to veterans in need. The military-themed art on the walls of the main building was donated by veterans groups.

“I believe in helping people who need it,” Farmer said. “There’s a lot of positive energy out here in Joliet. We want to help everyone we can do the best they can.”

While the community has come together to support the former service members at Hope Manor, Farmer and the staff also have worked to help the community, collecting and donating 200 backpacks this fall alone to children in the surrounding community.

“I try to go out of my way to get things for people,” Farmer said. “We’re currently in talks with Walmart to get more donations for the residents and the community.”

Although 94% of Hope Manor’s residents are veterans ranging in age from 26 to 84, several residents live with their spouses and children in the facility’s larger apartments, something the VOA hopes to expand soon.

The facility currently consists of four buildings with an outdoor playground for children and a memorial garden dedicated to a local fallen veteran – Sgt. Simone Robinson – but the organization already has plans to use a nearby open lot to build a new facility focused on housing more women and children.

“This is the best job experience I’ve ever had,” said Farmer, who said he worked in “corporate America” before joining the VOA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s such a bond, and there are so many great moments with our residents here, it’s hard to pick a favorite. It’s a great thing to be a part of. They keep finding ways to improve housing and benefits for our veterans.”