Commissioner Murman quoted in this ABC Action News article on Operation Reveille:
Operation Reveille program helps homeless vets leave the streets
5:52 PM, Nov 11, 2015
6:16 PM, Nov 11, 2015
Seven-year-old Kristian and 5-year-old Jesse scribbled pictures of their family.
“They’re what I live for. The reason why I’m here today,” Jason Gravette said.
The Gravettes, including their dad, a disabled U.S. Army veteran, were filled with hope Wednesday for the first time in a long time.
“It opened up my eyes that there are people out there that are willing to help,” Gravette said.
Jason and his wife, Melinda, their boys, including another 5-month-old, are homeless and living temporarily with a family member. They spent Wednesday at Port Tampa Bay to find an apartment through Operation Reveille.
“I’d like other people to know that I had the feelings that I was all alone. Bottom line, I’m not alone and neither are you,” Gravette said.
Operation Reveille, an effort to get homeless veterans off the street, will put 53 in furnished apartments by the end of the year.
“Every weekend, we’re going to be moving families into their own homes. We are so fortunate to have 200 households worth of furniture,” Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Coalition CEO Antoinette Hayes-Triplett said.
With around 150 homeless veterans in Hillsborough County, the problem is more than providing a roof and a bed.
“Just giving them a place to live is not going to solve the problem. You gotta have services and you gotta have that support system for them so they can get back on their feet,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman said.
Jason Gravette tells me joining the Army was the best decision of his life.
Wednesday’s decision was another good choice.
“For the longest time, I didn’t think I was good enough to accept the help but the bottom line is, it’s not about me. It’s about my family,” he said.
His boys, his wife and soon a home in the picture.
“Turning point, right?” he said looking at his wife.
“A turning point,” she answered.
