One-time homeless veterans given cars
Stuart Gelber, of Lake Ronkonkoma, and an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, sits in the seat of his new 2009 Chevy Cobalt, while his fellow VFW comrad Mike Rudolph, of Holsville views the inside. (Nov. 12, 2011) Credit: Steve Pfost
Evelyn Nowlin clutched the symbol of her regained independence -- a set of car keys -- to her chest.
"I feel a newfound freedom," the Air Force veteran said.
Nowlin, 56, of Kings Park, spent four years proudly serving her country in the 1970s, but her life out of the military has been tough. Rocked by family tragedy, she ended up homeless and broke.
"I haven't had a car in six years," she said. "I haven't been able to afford one."
That ended Saturday when Nowlin and six other veterans -- each of whom has been homeless -- received early Christmas gifts.
They were given refurbished cars through Recycled Rides Give-A-Way, a program serving needy veterans. For the giveaway, the Veterans of Foreign Wars teamed with the Long Island Auto Body Repairmen's Association and car insurance companies.
Estimates vary on how many homeless veterans are on Long Island. Veterans advocates claim there may be 5,000, but a study last year by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimated 2,300.
Recycled Rides has given away more than 20 cars in the last three years. Some veterans have used the vehicles to get to medical appointments at the Northport VA Medical Center, said Dennis Sullivan, New York State inspector with the VFW.
Insurance companies donate the cars, and local body shops repair them at no charge.
"Every one of the vets, at one time, was homeless," Sullivan said at Saturday's giveaway, held at VFW Post 2459 in Centereach. "They couldn't afford these cars. This gives them an opportunity to get on with their lives."
Having reliable transportation means stability, said Chris Delaney, of 9-1-1 Veterans, a group of Long Island vets who help others with financial issues. It donated $1,400 to register the cars given away Saturday.
Keeping vets mobile "enables them to continue working and be productive in society," Delaney said.
Bernard Parker, 27, of Selden, is an Army veteran who served in Iraq in 2007. Saturday, he put a license plate on his new ride, a minivan.
"It feels awesome," said Parker, who had been borrowing his girlfriend's car to get to his job as a food nutrition worker at the Northport VA.
"It means independence."
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