Once-homeless vet helps others start over

AUDUBON – A homeless and divorced military retiree from Cherry Hill found himself living in a car and then a seedy motel until reluctantly landing at the Home of the Brave, a homeless shelter in Camden for veterans.

After getting rehired to his old job as a bartender at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Route 70, Fred Silhol was able to leave the shelter for an apartment in Audubon with the assistance of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, the Home of the Brave operator.

Excited to be in his own home again, the retired U.S. Army master sergeant wanted to cook dinner that first night but suddenly came to a balloon-bursting realization. He did not have a pot or pan, dish or cup, silverware, can opener or anything else to prepare a meal and eat it except for his stove.

Resolute, he scraped $50 together to buy some basic, but essential, items for his new home.

That gave Silhol the idea to pull together another apartment starter kit for a homeless veteran transitioning from a shelter to permanent housing.

The VOA accepted his donation and embraced the concept, creating a new program kicking off this month called ASK, the Apartment Starter Kit.

“I just wanted to give back something for what the VOA did for me and to help other veterans who may find themselves in the same predicament as I did when leaving the shelter,” said Silhol, 54, a who served as a paratrooper in both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and as a drill sergeant.

He also served in the 506th Infantry at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea and later was a member of the Old Guard, or 3rd Infantry Regiment, which provides presidential and other military honor guards and escorts in the Washington, D.C., area. He served with that regiment in Dijibouti, Africa.

“All I had when I moved to the apartment were my clothes, a few other personal items and my cat. If I had had a survival kit, it would have taken some of the stress out of the move,” the once homeless veteran said.

Rebecca Fuller, VOA communications director, said the starter kit is very practical and can help get someone’s life on a better path during the transition to permanent housing.

“The things in the kit most people take for granted, but they are an absolute necessity,” she said.

VOA is seeking donors to either stock a kit or donate $50 to enable VOA to buy the items.

“Fred and VOA are dedicated to giving hope to those who need it most. Whether it is a struggling veteran or single mother, something as simple as a small cash donation or a starter kit can turn a house into a home for those who are less fortunate,” Fuller said.

She said VOA plans to distribute the first kits next week when it is scheduled to transition several clients to permanent housing.

Silhol, who retired from the military in 2006 after 20 years and returned to Cherry Hill, first found himself jobless and in California in 2013 after working for a defense contractor training the military in handling improvised explosive devices. He said the Cherry Hill American Legion directed him to the VOA last spring.

Silhol said he does not know where he would be today without the VOA, which also assisted him with his apartment rental deposit.

“I was a little apprehensive to even go to a shelter in Camden, but the veterans there support one another and offer a world of advice and the facility is top notch,” said Silhol, a Cherry Hill High School East graduate who left his hotel job and is now an overnight shift waiter at the Cherry Hill Diner on Route 38.

Now in his one-bedroom apartment for a year, the former soldier has a television, a donated sofa and a bed he bought on lay away. He is awaiting delivery of a kitchen table and chairs he also bought on lay away, proud that he avoided the temptation of credit cards and the trap of predatory loans.

“When you first get an apartment you think you’ve made it, but I would like to tell other veterans that getting back on your feet is not a sprint, but a marathon.”

Reach Carol Comegno at (856) 486-2473 or ccomegno@gannettnj.com or @carolcomegno

At a glance

How to donate for VOA apartment starter kits:

Send or dropped off donated kits to the Volunteers of America Delaware Valley main offices at 235 White Horse Pike, Collingswood

Cash donations can be mailed or given online.For more information on donating or kit items visit www.voadv.org or call donations coordinator Reyna Cameron at (856) 854-4660 x101 or email at rcameron@voadv.org.