David’s House from My Eyes

For Joe and I, David’s House was a concept without a name.

It was a concept that began as a vacation area in the mountains of Virginia specifically for Veterans, because honestly who is going to understand a Veteran better than another Veteran. Joe was still deployed while these ideas were surfacing. I would get emails from 8,000 miles away asking me to check on how to do this or that. So being the research nerd that I am by the time that Joe returned from deployment I had a binder full of information for him to review.

By the time he returned and settled into life at home (as best he could) the property had sold.

A new search began for a better piece of property. Found one that was about 700 +/- acres in the mountains of Washington State. This had been an old Dude Ranch decades ago. With a change in property came a slight change in focus.

The new focus was about Veterans and families struggling with homelessness. The statistics blew me away – these homeless Veterans with their families were not Vietnam Era like everyone believes, these were current war Veterans with young families. They can’t make ends meet, let alone keep a roof over their heads.

The one thing Joe and I discovered in our journey is that we cannot do this alone. We were only 2 people in a very large playing arena and while others loved our idea, getting support for such a project as 2 unknown people was next to impossible.

It was a chance conversation with Brannan Vines about “David’s House” being a place for Veterans to feel at home. I then knew I was with the right group of people. I told her that we had a similar vision. I shared my research and power points with her.

I cannot begin to describe how it feels to know that someone else has a similar vision to help Veterans for the long term goals in life.

Little did I know Brannan had already talked with 2 other couples with a similar vision?

Similar visions with like-minded people, only God could bring those people together, created The David’s House Project.

David’s House is designed to create hope for Veterans & their Families to create sustainable living once they leave David’s House.

For more information on this project, ways you can help, or to donate, please visithttp://haven.familyofavet.com or email haven@familyofavet.com.

Thank you

Pam Busenius

David’s House Project Manager