Helena vet home residents told they need new place to live

HELENA — A facility for veterans has announced it’s closing with residents being told their home is up for sale, eventually forcing them to uproot and be relocated.

Occupants of the Willis Cruse Transitional Facility, a 14-bed residence for homeless veterans at 1112 Leslie St., said they were told March 13 that the building was up for sale, that some people were interested in buying, and that they would be relocated to other Montana cities such as Missoula and Butte.

Mike Hampson, the owner of the home and president of the Montana Veterans Foundation, said Veterans Affairs had cut the funding from 12 to eight beds (not all 14 residents are on the government program). That, coupled with late payments from the VA, made it too tough to continue.

“It all added up,” he said. “We can’t sustain the home with eight beds.”

“It’s just a matter of no money,” he said, adding the home has been in various locations in Helena for about 20 years.

VA officials were not immediately available for comment Monday.

Hampson said efforts are being made now to find new homes for the residents, many of whom said the home has been a nice harbor in the storm for them, plus it has the convenience of being close to Fort Harrison VA Medical Center.

“If not for this place and the (Volunteers of America) I’d still be living in my car,” said Robert, a 50-year-old Navy veteran who has lived in the home since September. He asked that his last name not be used.

Jim Hefferman, 82, a nonresident who served in the Marines and visits the home, is angry about the decision to close and worries about the residents.

“This never should have happened to begin with,” he said, adding the home has served as a model for other veterans facilities in the state.

“These guys have paid the ultimate price over there in combat and deserve something better than what they got.”

Michael Gilmer, 47, an Army veteran, is one of those residents.

“It’s a great place, a great set up,” he said. “It’s difficult to know it is closing because it does help.”

As to where he will go from Helena, he said “It mostly comes down to where can you go.”

Hampson said he appreciated Hefferman’s concern.

“Jim’s heart is in the right place, but really it’s time to pay the bills and move to a different direction,” he said.

Veterans receive room and board in exchange for community service at the Cruse home. They also get rehabilitation help including diagnosis of mental illness, addiction recovery services and general medical attention. Veterans have education opportunities, employment training services and work experience.

The home is named for Willis Cruse, a Navy veteran and member of the Blackfoot Tribe. They said his time in the service took a toll and spent his post-Vietnam War years as a recluse in the mountains.

“Willis lost hope of ever realizing his dream of usefulness and eventually slipped away feeling as if his entire existence had no meaning,” says a plaque in his honor in the entryway of the home. “Willis (Black Hawk) Cruse mattered. He had purpose and he made a difference for us all. The house is dedicated in his memory.”

Hampson said the Montana Veterans Foundation will continue helping veterans and their families, even though it will no longer have the Leslie Street home. He said they may join with another nonprofit and operate an eight-bed facility.

He said there may be some advantages to have a paper foundation rather than a brick and mortar operation.

“We’ll be able to help more veterans,” he said.

And then there are questions about what happens to Cruse the dog, the mutt that has been with the home for years.

Hampson said Cruse will go to the home of one of the board members, or an interested veteran.

“He’s really loved by all the vets,” Hampson said. “He’s a good therapy dog.”