Meet Skip

Skip, a veteran, found himself facing homelessness after a series of family emergencies.  

Skip grew up between Harrisburg and Hershey and joined the United States Coast Guard in 1974. He served for eight and a half years before sustaining a serious back injury, which prevented him from continuing his military career. Instead, he went to school, earning a bachelor’s in special education and a master’s in divinity, and served as a minister in Southern Lancaster before moving to Virginia.  

A few years ago, Skip suffered a heart attack and moved back to Pennsylvania to get healthcare support from the Lebanon VA and to help take care of his aging parents. During that time, his mother sadly passed away. Then his father’s house burned down, and they lost many of their belongings. The house was rebuilt, but unfortunately, his father passed away soon thereafter. His father’s will intended for the house to be sold, and the money from the sale was to be divided among Skip and his siblings.  

Due to his back injury, Skip is unable to stand for long periods of time and can no longer work. He realized that once his father’s house sold, he would be homeless, and the money from the house would not be enough to live off of long-term. Skip reached out to the VA for help and briefly stayed at a shelter in Lebanon. Then he was offered a room at TLC, Tenfold’s 52-room shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. A portion of the rooms at TLC are reserved for the Veterans’ Victory House program, which serves veterans like Skip. 

“This place here is a real blessing,” Skip shares. Small things at TLC made a big difference for him. Because every household in the program has a private, hotel-style room and bathroom, he was able to take a long, hot shower every morning, which helps reduce the pain and stiffness from his back injury. He also enjoyed the social community at TLC and quickly became friends with many other residents, including fellow veterans.  

“There’s this community atmosphere, that’s what is nice about this place,” he says of TLC. “People help each other out here.” On two different occasions, fellow residents who had experience as car mechanics helped Skip fix a problem with his car. He also helped others, often giving rides to those who didn’t have their own cars and sharing items like dryer sheets. 

Skip worked with his case manager, Sydney, to improve his credit score, make a budget, and search for housing. She would also help him when he needed to type something on his phone, or when he forgot one of his passwords. “I can’t say enough good things about Sydney,” he shares. “She helped me out in so many different ways.” Every TLC participant has a case manager, who helps them identify their specific obstacles to obtaining housing and create an action plan to overcome those obstacles together. 

Today, Skip is preparing to move into his new rent-controlled apartment. “It’s kind of bittersweet,” he shares. “On the one hand, I’m glad that I’m getting an apartment. On the other hand, I’m going to miss everybody that’s here. That’s why I’m getting everybody’s phone numbers, so we can stay in touch.” TLC collaborated with the Elks club to provide Skip furnishings for his new apartment, including a new microwave, pots and pans, and bedding, so he’ll have everything he needs to be comfortable in his home. He and his friends from TLC are planning to get together for a potluck dinner at his new apartment in January. 

Looking back at his experience at TLC, Skip shares that it has changed his perspective on homelessness. Before experiencing it for himself, he never realized how easy it is to become homeless. At TLC, he saw how many people were in situations similar to his own. “I was running into people who, like me, because of fate or luck or circumstances, found themselves homeless,” he shares. “They’re good people. With the economy the way it is, and everything else, it doesn’t take an awful lot to become homeless.” He also saw how hard people worked to change their situations, adding that “Everybody I know is trying to get jobs, trying to get out, trying to get that next step.” 

Skip plans to return to TLC as a volunteer, to help out around the building and be a resource for new residents. His advice for others facing homelessness is to seek help and advocate for themselves. “Ask for help, and take the help,” he says. 

Overall, Skip is grateful for his time at TLC, and for the Lancaster community in general. He feels that Lancaster is an unusually generous place. “It’s a different mindset of the people in Lancaster,” he shares. “It’s more giving towards the homeless and veterans. That makes a big difference.” 

Tenfold’s TLC Shelter serves individuals, families, and veterans experiencing homelessness. At any given time, there are approximately 80-100 individuals living at TLC, including 30-45 children and 17-18 veterans. Families are never separated at TLC. To learn more about TLC, click here.  To donate to Tenfold, click here.