Homeless to Hero

Air Force Reserve aims to be "catalyst" in fight against homelessness

By John William Howard, Hillsboro Tribune | Reprinted with permission.

Leanne Babcock grew up homeless. Now, she's doing everything she can to make sure no one else ends up on the streets.

Babcock, a 2000 graduate of Glencoe High School, is a member of the Air Force Reserve, currently working as an air technician in Honduras. She's the first college graduate and first service member in her family, and she's working to slow the explosive growth in homelessness among her peers.

Babcock is a contestant in the Ms. Veteran America competition, which raises money and awareness about the rise of homeless women veterans living across the country.

Unlike many pagents and competitions, Ms. Veteran America has a sole beneficiary: Final Salute, which helps female veterans escape homelessness through transitional housing and other partnerships.

Leanne Babcock

Most competitors in the Ms. Veteran America competition have had brushes with homelessness. The issue is surprisingly common among women who have served in active duty.

Homeless women veterans is the fastestgrowing homeless demographic in the nation, according to research by Final Salute. Female veterans on the street are rare, but stories of couch surfing and unstable housing are common. Around 70 percent of homeless women veterans have children.

Babcock said the homeless risk screenings set up through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs often miss female veterans because they're less likely to get benefits through the VA. Babcock said female veterans are a proud group, and often don't seek out help until it's too late.

Part of Final Salute's mission is to encourage women to apply for benefits through the VA, simply so they're eligible for the housing support options.

Babcock and her mother were homeless when she was young and didn't find permanent housing until she was 12 years old.

"My father … was abusive, and was into drugs and alcohol," Babcock remembered. "Finally, after a few months of planning, we left in December 1984 and drove into Portland."

Babcock was 2 years old. She and her mother stayed in the Raphael House — a landing place for victims of domestic violence — before moving on to stay with family and friends, unable to share a permanent address and not knowing how long they could stay.

Once she was old enough, her mother wanted to keep her in the same school district.

"And that was not easy to do on a single parent income," Babcock said. "A village helped raise me, and I made it."

Babcock and her mother eventually moved into a home near Bicentennial Park and attended Eastwood Elementary. After graduating from Glencoe, she moved on to serve on active duty with the Air National Guard in 2003.

The Ms. Veteran America competition aside — Babcock mainly uses her own story to talk about the challenges veterans face — providing housing for fellow veterans is the main motivation for Babcock.

While home on leave, Babcock bought a home in Hillsboro with the help of a former classmate. Hillsboro is and will always be home, she says, though she's stationed in northern California, and her mother lives in a condo just a few minutes away.

She said she plans to telecommute from Hillsboro to help maintain residency, but the home was empty most of the year, so when a friend fell on hard times and needed a place to stay, Babcock was quick to lend a hand.

"To buy a house in a part of town I could never have afforded growing up and provide housing to another female veteran facing homelessness … it was very bittersweet," she said. "It gives a forever home to Mom and I, a place to go, and it provides housing [to people who need it]."

Babcock is hosting two fundraiser events in the Portland area, the first being a workout at CrossFit Code Red on May 20 in Hillsboro, the Saturday after Mother's Day. She is also taking donations online and hopes to be one of the top 25 in the competition and move on to the finals, but making lasting changes is more important.

"I hope to be a catalyst for Oregon," Babcock said. "I want to connect with the VA and get the word out. [Homeless women veterans] will continue to be a problem unless we do something about it."