If not for the sign on the front of the building, you might think it was a dormitory on a college campus. Men sit on benches, reading the newspaper or smoking, while others sit at picnic tables in the shade, playing cards or checkers.
Other men hang out in the grassy area at the corner of the building playing fetch with the semi-feral cats rescued by the facility's workers. One patient confided, "These cats saved my life, expecially the little black guy chasing butterflies over there."Â Another, more reticent veteran, said, "I really like to see the cats walking around the center."Â One man can't talk, but he shows his devotion to the cats by dragging a long blade of grass around the lawn, with another small black cat chasing it.
About SVRC
The SVRC (Sacramento Veterans Resource Center) originated in 1989, as an employment assistance center for Veterans. Today, employment counseling and training is still one of the center's main focus. From SVRC's website: "We are proud of our long tradition of helping veterans obtain career training and self sustaining employment opportunities."
You can read more about Supportive Housing and other available programs on the SVRC website.
But this story is about the Jon Oberg Center (located at SVRC), a twenty-two bed "transitional housing program for veterans, and non-veterans, in need of social model drug/alcohol recovery services." All patients are homeless, for one reason or another, and SVRC is a haven for their recovery, as the cats here are a lifeline for their mental health and happiness..
The Veterans at the Jon Oberg Center
The veterans come from various sources:
John
One of the latter is John, who as an indigent once slept under dumpsters, with nothing but a tattered blanket to keep him as warm as possible on cold winter nights. He put newspaper inside his shoes as the soles had worn through long ago.
John was beaten and robbed of what little money he had on several occasions. This veteran is now toothless. It is not known if it's a result of the beatings, or dental disease from poor diet and/or repeated drug use. More about John on the next page.
Other men hang out in the grassy area at the corner of the building playing fetch with the semi-feral cats rescued by the facility's workers. One patient confided, "These cats saved my life, expecially the little black guy chasing butterflies over there."Â Another, more reticent veteran, said, "I really like to see the cats walking around the center."Â One man can't talk, but he shows his devotion to the cats by dragging a long blade of grass around the lawn, with another small black cat chasing it.
About SVRC
The SVRC (Sacramento Veterans Resource Center) originated in 1989, as an employment assistance center for Veterans. Today, employment counseling and training is still one of the center's main focus. From SVRC's website: "We are proud of our long tradition of helping veterans obtain career training and self sustaining employment opportunities."
You can read more about Supportive Housing and other available programs on the SVRC website.
But this story is about the Jon Oberg Center (located at SVRC), a twenty-two bed "transitional housing program for veterans, and non-veterans, in need of social model drug/alcohol recovery services." All patients are homeless, for one reason or another, and SVRC is a haven for their recovery, as the cats here are a lifeline for their mental health and happiness..
The Veterans at the Jon Oberg Center
The veterans come from various sources:
- Referrals from other agencies, including the V A hospital at Mather, CA
- Courts, including the Veterans Superior Court in Placerville, CA. Some of the defendants here appeared for crimes of violence, and a large majority included alcohol and drug abuse.
- Off the streets of surrounding areas.
John
One of the latter is John, who as an indigent once slept under dumpsters, with nothing but a tattered blanket to keep him as warm as possible on cold winter nights. He put newspaper inside his shoes as the soles had worn through long ago.
John was beaten and robbed of what little money he had on several occasions. This veteran is now toothless. It is not known if it's a result of the beatings, or dental disease from poor diet and/or repeated drug use. More about John on the next page.