Veterans Justice Project Blogs, Articles, & Media
Timothy Pena initially traveled to NYC at the invitation of RIP Medical Debt founder and U.S. Navy Veteran Jerry Ashton to collaborate for his project, Veterans Mission Possible. Soon after arriving, Tim came to the realization that he would rather be homeless in NYC than commit suicide in Phoenix and spent five months in a violent, drug-infested shelter before obtaining his HUD/VASH voucher for supportive housing while detailing his journey from homeless to homeness with a series of articles called, 'Be the Story'.
Tim testified before the NYS Department of Veterans Affairs in December 2022 and the NYC Council on Veterans Services numerous times, is a former member of the NYC Veterans Task Force, and a current member of Military Veterans in Journalism. He has partnered with other veterans, Army veteran Mount Lacy and Marine veteran Juan Colon to bring attention to the struggles of veterans experiencing homelessness and their transition into sustainable housing, financial stability, and mental health wellness.
Email: Timothy Pena
In 1980, while serving with the Navy Seabees and
attached to an amphibious assault ship USS San
Bernadino (LST-1189) in the Persian Gulf during the
Iranian Hostage Crisis, Marine Pfc. Bradley Johnson
received a bad letter from home, obtained an M-16
from the armory sentry, and committed suicide if
front of us. While the suicide was bad enough, the
helicopter blew Johnson’s brain matter and blood all
over the deck and gear providing a stark reminder
for the rest of the WESTPAC.
Following years of struggling with PTSD, mental illness, and suicide ideation, a total mental health breakdown after an arrest for DUI and marijuana possession in October 2014 was the turning point but it wasn’t until 2015 that I got into treatment at the Phoenix VA Hospital. In 2016 I filed a claim for VA Disability, and in 2017 was awarded a 70% VA Disability rating for PTSD. After years of DUI’s resulting in years of jailtime and prison, the diagnosis provided me with some answers to what I was suffering and that the struggles I encountered over the past 35 years were real. The diagnosis also provided a path to mental health success and as a result, provided me an avenue of healing and treatment still to this day at the Manhattan VA Hospital.
Following years of struggling with PTSD, mental illness, and suicide ideation, a total mental health breakdown after an arrest for DUI and marijuana possession in October 2014 was the turning point but it wasn’t until 2015 that I got into treatment at the Phoenix VA Hospital. In 2016 I filed a claim for VA Disability, and in 2017 was awarded a 70% VA Disability rating for PTSD. After years of DUI’s resulting in years of jailtime and prison, the diagnosis provided me with some answers to what I was suffering and that the struggles I encountered over the past 35 years were real. The diagnosis also provided a path to mental health success and as a result, provided me an avenue of healing and treatment still to this day at the Manhattan VA Hospital.
Who is The Forgotten Veteran?
The Forgotten Veteran is incarcerated or homeless.
The Forgotten Veteran most likely experienced trauma while serving.
The Forgotten Veteran has unresolved issues with family & friends.
The Forgotten Veteran struggles with lingering drug/alcohol abuse issues and suffers mental illness.
The Forgotten Veteran struggles with suicide ideation.
The Forgotten Veteran is in the shadows but wants to be seen.
In just a couple of years, founders of Military Veterans in Journalism have put their organization on the map for journalists.
The taxpayer is burdened with the cost of the VA system for a veteran, then while the veteran is in prison, then again when the veteran starts over
Since I am low-income with only my VA Disability, I will need to get housing vouchers.
It is estimated that for each ACI inmate worker, a community family loses a $25 an hour wage job
In training materials recently obtained by the ACLU of Arizona, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) refers to the people it prosecutes using the slur “crazy”
According toThe Center for Health and Justice at TASC (CHJ) , across the United States, criminal justice systems are managing record numbers of people with rates of
substance use and mental health disorders that are exponentially higher than those of the general public. Now more than ever, and often with strong public support, legislators, prosecutors, judges, court
administrators, corrections and probation officials, and the jurisdictions they serve are responding with
community-based diversion alternatives, often incorporating substance use and mental health service or
program components.
The collective scope and variety of existing diversion programs across the country reflect a policy and political context that is increasingly receptive to the benefits of safely diverting individuals – who in many cases are drug-involved or have mental health problems or both – out of costly jail or prison incarceration, and away from conviction and its lifelong collateral consequences, into programs that more effectively and efficiently address the behavioral health conditions underlying their criminal behaviors.
The collective scope and variety of existing diversion programs across the country reflect a policy and political context that is increasingly receptive to the benefits of safely diverting individuals – who in many cases are drug-involved or have mental health problems or both – out of costly jail or prison incarceration, and away from conviction and its lifelong collateral consequences, into programs that more effectively and efficiently address the behavioral health conditions underlying their criminal behaviors.