COVID has complicated help for veterans
MCHENRY COUNTY – The staff at TLS Veterans based in McHenry County knows that when the COVID sparked nationwide moratorium on evictions is lifted, they may become extremely busy helping veterans stay in their residences.
The ban on evictions will last through December 31 and while it’s in place, landlords may not evict tenants that do not pay. Laura Franz, executive director of TLS Veterans, knows that many veterans like most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck right now and hope to hold onto their jobs through the pandemic. Franz recognizes some veterans don’t want to ask for help because they are so used to being the helpers.
“They are the protectors, the ones giving assistance,” Franz said. “It’s often their family members will reach out and ask for assistance for them and that’s where it’s wonderful for us that we have so many veterans because it’s a veteran offering a hand up to another veteran and that makes it a little easier to accept.”
TLS Veterans has served veterans in Huntley, Woodstock, Algonquin, and Crystal Lake and throughout the area with a variety of services. Among the vital services, TLS Veterans works to help veterans with nutrition assistance especially with the impact of COVID. Not only helping with nutrition needs, but COVID has also led to more isolation which can be the last thing a veteran needs.
“The underlying goal is always about connecting. You connect people and they are less likely to commit suicide or to end up hopeless,” Franz said.
Franz is very worried about the isolation of veterans who’ve been affected in this COVID environment. TLS Veterans is trying to mitigate the risk for veterans getting sick especially because they may have underlying health conditions.
“We are doing whatever we can to connect you with other veterans and that includes FaceTime, video conferencing with veterans, social distancing, phone calls, and texting, whatever we can do so that people are not isolated,” Franz said.
For Thanksgiving, TLS Veterans usually have a couple of places that donate the turkeys, according to Franz, but she notes this is a different time because of COVID. She hopes the turkeys will still be donated and the full dinner, “but if it isn’t, we have our food truck and that will still be here in McHenry for the month of November,” Franz said. The food truck comes once a month funded by several veterans groups including the American Legion, VFW, and Polish Legion in McHenry. Because of COVID, the process has changed. When the food truck stops by and TLS Veterans knows what each veteran needs, the staff will load up the cars.
Barring any unforeseen delays, TLS Veterans will move its headquarters in McHenry County this month. In addition to the move from McHenry to Crystal Lake, TLS will change its name in December to reflect more clearly the entirety of what the agency can do for veterans. TLS Veterans will hold an open house and then live stream on the new name, though the legal name will stay Transitional Living Services because of various grants received or applied for by TLS.
