For some, every day is Veterans Day

TAMPA - For some, paying tribute to the men and woman who have served in our Armed Forces is a year-round mission.

Every day is Veterans Day for them.

That’s the case at Liberty Manor, which provides transitional housing for homeless veterans. And good or bad, the men that live there are always reminded of their service.

“There was a time in my life approximately two years ago that I hit the lowest point in my life,” James Brennan, one of 18 men at the house, said.

Each veteran at Liberty Manor has fallen on hard times with nowhere to go, but at least there they get a roof over their head and assistance in applying for a government pension.

And there’s always someone to lean on.

"One of us is having a bad day, only another veteran that has gone through that can help the other veteran go through that day,” Brennan said.

The organization was started six years ago in part by Connie Blaney.

“I learned that the damage of combat is very taxing on these men,” she said.

Now, there are four throughout the Bay Area.

“This is just something that just happened … (there) was a huge need,” she said.

While some will move on, others are at the home dealing with mental or physical disabilities. This is now their permanent home.

Army veteran Lee Stafford has been there since 2008 and calls it his lifeline.

“I'd be on the streets, on drugs and alcohol, homeless again, or in jail,” he said if he didn’t have the house. “Maybe in jail.”

After all, it’s not just a house.

“It's basically like being in combat,” Brennan said. “You have a brother standing beside you helping you through the trials of the day. We're still going through that here today."

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