{"id":5400,"date":"2026-07-30T14:54:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5400"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:55:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:55:38","slug":"never-lost-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/never-lost-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Never lost hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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New on VA News<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Never lost hope: A journey through illness, homelessness and healing<\/h2>\n\n\n
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By Shawn Lu, National Homeless Program Manager, VHA Homeless Programs Office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 30, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Benjamin Parsons, movement has always been an important part of his life. After losing his wife of 19 years, the Navy Veteran walked 5 \u2013 7 miles a day with his beloved Belgian Malinois, finding comfort, routine and healing in every step. Those daily walks with his loyal companion became a way to help process his grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few years later, however, a series of medical challenges\u2014including spinal surgery that severely reduced his mobility and eventually led to a period of homelessness\u2014left the same man who once covered miles on foot struggling to walk on his own or manage everyday tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, he never lost hope. No matter the challenge, Parsons kept asking questions, seeking support and exploring VA resources that could help improve his quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the full article on VA News<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A Veteran regains independence through determination and support from VA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":5401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-5400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-news","tag-hud-vash"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/never-lost-hope\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Never lost hope","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/never-lost-hope\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/never-lost-hope\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/07\/B.-Parsons_Photo.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/07\/B.-Parsons_Photo.png"},"articleSection":"VA News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["hud-vash"],"dateCreated":"2026-07-30T14:54:30Z","datePublished":"2026-07-30T14:54:30Z","dateModified":"2026-07-30T14:55:38Z"},"rendered":"