This is my second diary here. I'd been a lurker for a few years then got a UID so I could post a comment which became my first diary. I'm putting this together from several Facebook posts by a friend who asked for help. He knows about this, he read it before I posted so he's cool with it. Mozes served his tour in The Sand Box-Iraq and Afghanistan-as Army National Guard. He came home whole in body. Civilian life has been difficult for him. Unemployment, lack of transportation, lack of housing, booze, family troubles, PTSD. Talk to almost any Veteran and it's the same story. He's one of the lucky. He has a room in a Veterans House. Part of his story is below the Great Orange Unknown.
What follows is a compilation of posts and comments from his Facebook page
Amazing, just as I was about to fall asleep last night a spider ran across my pillow. Got up and killed it and then turned on my light to make sure there were no more. Then just as I went to turn my light off, I saw 4 more on my wall, and 3 building a web in my lamp.....hours later I killed about 17 spiders in my room alone wondering where the ##(^&#(^&@(#@(^&@(&^@(&@&(@) THEY CAME FROM! OH MY GAWD I #(&^(@!^&!(^&!(* HATE &#@^&@(&^@ SPIDERS!
Man, I reallllly don't want to lie down....last time I did I ended up in the hospital for like 3 weeks from a brown recluse and anaphylaxis. Got bit on the foot in Basic, followed orders to "Suck it up and deal". Right now there's about 32 bites on me but I don't think this is how Peter Parker felt that next morning.
Great. They are yellow sac spiders and their bites can cause necrotic lesions which take about 8 weeks to fully heal. Amazing. Of all the spiders I could have ended up with. I can't believe it.
Spent ALLLLL day on the bus to walmart, and back destroying my room, spraying the entire place down with insecticide, that supposedly kills spiders, and scorpions. Then as I was boarding up my windows' little crevasses with some ghetto-ass scotch tape, I found 2 opened disgusting spider spawning sacs behind my air conditioner.
According to one spider site
which I've paraphrased as follows:
Bites by yellow sac spiders generally produce instant, intense stinging pain... may be followed by localized redness, swelling and itching... may or may not evolve into a necrotic lesion... healing is usually complete within eight weeks. Systemic effects are usually not severe, may include chills, fever, headache, dizziness, nausea, anorexia, and sometimes shock. Treatment for the local lesion same as outlined for the hobo and brown recluse spiders: Likewise, corticosteroid therapy may be beneficial when systemic effects are present.
Well, no more spider postings. He hasn't mentioned how the bites he has are being treated.and his dog has been nomming on spiders whenever possible.
A month later he posts:
This entire house is infested with bed bugs, and people have told the Albany Housing Coalition but they are not doing anything about it. As of last night there were 3 out of 30 rooms that did not have bugs in them including mine, and then this morning I woke up with 3 bites on my leg, 1 on each foot, and a huge rash looking one on my elbow. I'm so sick of this shit. This is the last thing I need right now. Now there is one room in the house that hasn't been hit yet.
During our texting he mentioned broken appliances that aren't being replaced because "you break them too soon." No household vacuum cleaner can hold up to being used 120 times in one month for a year. (30 people who vacuum their room once a week) Nor can the typical household laundry machines handle the laundry demands of 30 people. Yet this 30 person Veterans' home has the same brands/models from Big Box Store as we do in our homes. He told me of one fund-raiser that raised $15,000 and all the Vets at this house received was a ping-pong table. He said "People in the past fought about where the money went, but the people who ask the questions get thrown out for not working their program."
"We've gone in the past and told them, (the Albany Housing Coalition, they run our house, The Vet House, on 180 First Street, Albany NY 12210) We need industrial cleaning supplies, and tools. We have 30 people in this house. All 30 vacuum their rooms once a week, plus cleaning the conference room daily, cleaning the stairs daily, and cleaning the floors daily. Now how does a $50 household vacuum cleaner do all of this and last? Where does all the money go that they raise through fund-raisers? It doesn't seem to go into this house."
Last month this article was printed in an Albany NY newspaper
http:/ www.timesunion.com... explaining how the grants would be used to provide training for Veterans. My friend's remark upon reading the article, "That's funny how Joe says that in the Times Union. This house sees no money."
He has written to Senator Gillibrand and Rep. Tonko about The Vet House, as have I. I've also written the reporter of the Times Union article mentioned above to ask him a few questions. Can you corroborate or deny the insect invasions? The broken washers and dryers and vacuum cleaners? Why household models, not industrial models, of vacuums and laundry machines? How are funds disbursed from the various fund-raisers?
He posted this on the Facebook page of VAAlbany tuesday:
[http:////www.facebook.com/VAAlbany?ref=stream
"I don't know who at the VA to contact about this, but I am a resident over at the Albany Veterans House, owned by the Albany Housing Coalition. We here at the house have gone forward to the VA before about the Bed Bug issue in our home, because the Coalition is not doing anything about this issue. We were told from the Coalition that the VA had told them that until the issue was resolved, that no one else was allowed to move into the home but we still have new residents coming. I myself woke up this morning with bites, and someone else yesterday. This issue is only growing and I seriously do not know who to contact. It is hard enough with the issues we have in our lives, but people here at the house are literally traumatized by this. Please, something needs to happen."
While I was trying to tighten this up into a respectable diary this morning, I saw he'd given me permission for this saga to be posted at Daily Kos. We figured we'd have to start a massive email/snail mail campaign to improve living conditions for the vets. He'd posted the following updates after I'd gone to bed:
Something DEF. happened at the house today. I guess the Albany Housing Coalition got a phone call from Washington asking the director if he was " Out of his ------- mind." Then the coalition went through the house and asked who was responsible for the letters being sent into Washington. Apparently my name was dropped, I was asked to call one of the social workers belonging to the coalition then I was asked about the letters and I admitted it. I did nothing wrong. I'm proud of what I did, and I thank everyone who has supported me.
I have a feeling that they will be watching my every move now, waiting to throw me out. But that's fine. As long as the other 29 people in this house don't have to suffer any longer. Though I have to admit, this is not what I had expected to happen when I said I wanted to help fellow veterans."
I actually received a phone call a few minutes ago from someone at the coalition who once upon a time lived here in this house, who thanked me for what I have done. Well I'm off to bed for some long needed sleep. Hopefully the bed bugs won't bite. But even if they do, now I can smile knowing that something is being done about it. I just hope all of my friends know that they are somebody, and that their words mean something. I thought for the longest time that there may not be hope left in this world. But today in many more than just two or three ways, I have found hope again. And I will not stop fighting.
In the reply to my friend's posting on their page [
http://www.facebook.comVAAlbany?ref=stream]
Peter Potter, Director of Public Affairs at Albany Stratton VA Medical Center wrote yesterday:
"The Bed bug issue is being actively pursued. When the bed bug issue was first reported, VA contacted Albany Housing Coalition (AHC) to ensure prompt action. They, in turn, hired an exterminator and addressed the situation....
"Given the nature of bed bugs and their prevalence in the area as reported recently in the news, it would appear that they have returned to AHC....VA has confirmed that AHC had already contacted exterminators....
"Unfortunately, while bed bugs can be effectively treated, eliminating their return cannot be guaranteed, which is probably why they have been a parasitic nuisance for thousands of years.... (Is this humor, sarcasm, or a failed attempt to lighten a bad situation? Daily Kos Readers want to know.)
"Thank you for informing us of your experience and urge all Veterans to reach out to VA when experiencing an issue or when a question may arise. Only by working together, sharing information, can we ensure that Veterans continue to receive the best available services possible."
So now with the situation being looked into, why post this diary? Simple. I want to believe this young man because I've known him for over half his life. I don't want to believe him because he is an American Veteran and we do not treat them like this.
Do we?
1:11 PM PT: Here's the latest post from my friend I just recieved a phone call from The Congressmans Assistant. And because the Albany Housing Coalition is not federal they are limited to what can be done. I was told that I should send a letter too, or speak with the Director of the Albany Housing Coalition about the issues.
Really? The Albany Housing Coalition is not Federal? If it is a non-profit organization set up by the VA wouldnt that still make it federal? Since people from the Coalition are paid by the VA with federal funds how is that not federal? I am completely confused now. From the sounds of it, if I want to set up a high paying, get rich quick plan, than im in the wrong bussiness, and "Non-Profit Organizations" are the way to go. I think I might look into this a little deeper.