{"id":5591,"date":"2026-08-19T14:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5591"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:51:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:51:46","slug":"from-the-streets-to-a-home-of-his-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-streets-to-a-home-of-his-own\/","title":{"rendered":"From the streets to a home of his own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New on VA News<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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From the streets to a home of his own: One Veteran\u2019s road to recovery<\/h2>\n\n\n
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By Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager, VHA Homeless Programs Office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

August 19, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After completing the Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program, an initiative that helped him find discipline and regain his footing after struggling to stay on track in high school, Nathaniel Toups turned to his mother one day and mentioned that he was thinking about enlisting in the Air Force. She wasn\u2019t fully convinced that he would be accepted, but Toups figured there was only one way to find out, so together, they walked into a recruiting center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was accepted, a moment he said he\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Toups\u2019 time serving in the Air Force was cut short after about a year, following a traumatic event that led to his discharge. Without adequate support to cope with the aftermath, he turned to drugs and alcohol to help him cope.<\/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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How VA programs helped a Louisiana Veteran reclaim his life and support recovery<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":5592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[58,37,99],"class_list":["post-5591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-news","tag-call-center","tag-hud-vash","tag-ptsd"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-streets-to-a-home-of-his-own\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"From the streets to a home of his own","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-streets-to-a-home-of-his-own\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/from-the-streets-to-a-home-of-his-own\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/ntoups.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/08\/ntoups.png"},"articleSection":"VA News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["call center","hud-vash","ptsd"],"dateCreated":"2026-08-19T14:51:08Z","datePublished":"2026-08-19T14:51:08Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T14:51:46Z"},"rendered":"