Gala Helps Open Doors For Female Soldiers

Displaced or homeless female veterans may soon have a room of their own.

Female Soldiers, Forgotten Heroes' May 1 gala netted nearly $82,000. That's in addition to the recent $45,000 donation from Peoples United Community Foundation. Since the organization started, it has raised $250,000.

"People understand the need and are responding to it," said Wilton resident Shalini Madaras, chair of FSFH. "Considering the economic climate, this is just magnificent and speaks of the active committee member's strength of belief, dedication and determination in seeing our female soldiers' transitional house become a reality."

The group will go before Bridgeport's P&Z for a final meeting on May 24. The meeting will determine whether the alternative use permits for the house on Clinton Avenue are approved.

To help make the case, Madaras recently wrote a letter to the editor that ran in the Connecticut Post. In it she addressed the particular needs of female soldiers.

"These female soldiers are side-by-side with their male counter parts enduring the same dangers, stress and hardships," Madaras wrote. "They deserve the same supports and services that are in place for the men when they return home. The government cannot keep up with this new and sudden need. As it is, the government is prepared to help only about ten percent of the needy veterans."

The piece countered a recent Connecticut Post editorial, which opposed the residence.

Madaras said she hopes people will put their defenses aside and see that veterans are homeless by circumstance, not by choice.

A homeless veteran could be a young college-aged woman with no place to live when she comes home, or she could be a single mother on a limited income, said Sergeant Major Caterina Veronesi speaking at last months fundraiser.

"War, death, and isolation can ravage these troops," Veronesi said.  "We need to give them a safe haven, with the qualities of home."

FSFH envisions the home as a stepping-stone between the military and civilian life. The veterans in the home will become invested members of the community, Madaras said. Perhaps they'll work with the Bridgeport Historical Society or do their own fundraising.

Looking forward, FSFH will continue its fundraising efforts to help for the house's operational costs, scholarship programs, and other avenues of reintegrating soldiers into civilian life.

More than $1 million will be invested into the project, Madaras said. The aim is to retain the house's value for the long-term.

FSFH will continue to educate local residents that local communities and private organizations must help provide housing, skill straining and stability.

 "In fact, as citizens, it is our duty to help," Madaras said.  "It's about caring and pride."