LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A new service is assisting veterans in the Las Vegas community, Oui Care Behavioral Health is showing how they care for those who sacrificed for our freedom.
Inside a pink house on the east part of the valley, Ricky Spann is making it a mission to help homeless veterans get back on their feet which includes understanding their VA benefits and what programs they qualify for which can be a long and difficult process to understand.
“I thought with my knowledge base, if I met them, I can walk them through the process a little bit easier so they won’t get discouraged, it’s still a long process but they often get discouraged and quit,” Spann explained.
Spann said the key is to break down that stigma when it comes to asking for help.
“Now when I talk to the vets I say it’s okay and it’s better with veterans on veterans when we’re talking to one another,” added Spann. “Their guards come down and they admit they need help. We’re just talking to one today and he said he’s been on the street for 15 years and he’s ready to come off and he’s glad he met Mary. I said you came to the right place, so we’re going to help him.”
Mary Franklin handles the home care side of the company. Renovations are still underway at the Oui Care pink house, they hope to officially open in May but are still helping veterans in any way they can.
“While we’re painting and cleaning we want to give them a place to stay,” Franklin said. “From word of mouth, we have two veterans that said hey I need help, I’m tired. The gentleman I dropped off today at the VA has been homeless for 3 years. In the last 3 years, he told me I just don’t care. He lost his family to his mental status, they just don’t understand,” she said.
Franklin’s son is a military veteran as well, prompting her even more to be a part of the change in our community.
“When a veteran comes home, he’s a different man and we have to be patient with them and then we have to try to reach them,” said Franklin.
There’s still plenty of work to do and Franklin hopes the community will step up to help those who served our country. From financial assistance to donated furniture, and a moving truck, they also need veterans.
“When I say I hand up, I mean we need financial assistance, we need a pickup truck and the pickup truck is because we get asked for so many donations,” Franklin explained. “We would like the veterans to know where we are, so they can come eat with us and they can come share with us. Whatever it is their needs are.”
If you would like to help or are a veteran in need of assistance, you can contact Mary Franklin at nicestladyn702@gmail.com
