By day, Shareé Gill studies for a master’s in social work and interns at Liberty House, a Tarrant County MHMR facility for homeless veterans faced with substance dependency and mental health issues. By night, she tends bar at a VFW Post in Arlington.
The apparent mismatch is not lost on Gill. “I found myself serving alcohol to vets and at the same time working at Liberty House,” she said.
At the same time, she didn’t know exactly how to reconcile the two disparate activities. Then one Wednesday evening at the VFW Post, she was telling a group of veterans at the bar about Liberty House and was surprised to learn that they had never heard of it. In a flash, she had a vision for an event that would inform vets about the program, bring members of the veteran community together, and also generate some money to support Liberty House operations.
Thus was born Operation Liberty House, a first-of-its-kind awareness-booster, fundraiser, and connections-maker from 1 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, at VFW Post 6111 (1200 W Harris Rd, Arlington, 817-465-1124). While veteran-focused, Operation Liberty House is open to all and will include a range of activities, including live music.
Attendees will learn that Liberty House is a year-long transitional housing program that provides a place to sleep and three meals a day to homeless veterans experiencing problems associated with mental illness and substance abuse. Vets in the program get a safe and drug-free environment and access to counseling, housing vouchers, employment, and health and dental care. They also receive crucial help getting documents such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates.
There will be food and drinks for sale, as well as a raffle, a chili cookoff, and poker, pool, and darts tournaments. The event will have a significant motorcycle flavor thanks to the involvement of Gill’s co-organizer. Will “Rooster” Meek, who grew up in Mansfield and served with the U.S. Army in Iraq, rides with Regimental Army Warriors MC.
Sporting full sleeve tattoos and a warhawk haircut with shaved sides revealing a scalp tattoo of the crossed rifles symbol for infantry, Rooster serves as Tailgunner on Army Warriors group rides.
“That means I’m always covering our club’s six, riding at the back and making sure nobody gets between us,” he said.
Rooster himself is a graduate of veteran assistance programs. After serving in Iraq during the 2007 and 2008 surge, he left the military on full disability. Back home, he struggled to adapt to civilian life without the Army he loved.
Photo by Mark Henricks
“I got in trouble, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rooster said. “I went through treatment court, and it changed me. Then I came back as a mentor.”
Since January, Rooster has been employed by MHMR working at Liberty House. In his capacity as co-organizer of Operation Liberty House, he has coordinated the involvement of a number of other motorcycle clubs.
Rough Riders MC, another veteran-focused biker group, has already donated four beds to Liberty House. The Christian Motorcyclists Association is donating underwear and bed linens. Other biker clubs are providing knives and assorted motorcycle gear for the raffle and silent auction. Other involved groups include American Legion Chapter 379 Riders, associated with Bedford’s American Legion Post 379, and Support Operation Services, which helps out veterans as well as first responders and their families.
The lively and personable Gill, who grew up in Arlington and Fort Worth, is close to finishing her degree at UTA. After graduation, she plans to work as a death doula and certified psychedelic-assisted therapist.
As part of organizing Operation Liberty, Gill has also reached out to other VFW and American Legion posts in the area. She’s solicited their involvement with a rationale like the one that spawned the idea in the first place. “I said, ‘How are we going to give alcohol to vets without informing them of where they can go if that begins to threaten their lives?’ ”
Part of the strategy behind recruiting all these veteran groups is to create more connections, so that, in addition to tapping organized resources like Liberty House, former service members can help one another cope with homelessness, PTSD, substance dependence, and other challenges. Gill is optimistic that bringing all these people and organizations together will create a lasting network of support. “We have a lot of community coming together with us.”
Fundraising, the third objective of Operation Liberty House, will help vets acquire the necessary documents for finding work, obtaining housing, and otherwise integrating effectively into society. Buying raffle tickets and bidding on items in the silent auction are two ways for attendees to contribute financially.
They can also help support Liberty House by purchasing food and drink. All profits will go to the veterans’ transition facility, Rooster said.
Photo by Mark Henricks
Finally, direct donations can also be made to Liberty House. As it’s a 501(c)3 nonprofit, these donations may be eligible for a tax deduction.
The live music runs from 2 to 8 p.m. The chili cookoff tasting commences at 3 p.m. Throughout the afternoon and evening will be the other events, including the poker, pool, and darts tournaments.
Vets can get information about Liberty House as well as apply to participate in the assistance program by calling the Fort Worth VA Homeless Program at 817-255-7150. Tarrant County also offers a variety of other programs designed to address veteran needs, including employment opportunities, help finding a job, and vocational rehabilitation.
A number of local programs address the housing needs of the sizable population of homeless veterans. There are vouchers programs to give vets access to the housing market, plus services to help vets stay in their homes and others that provide medical and dental treatment. Homeless vets can also access substance abuse and mental health care on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.
None of the many veteran-focused assistance and support initiatives do quite the same thing in quite the same way as Liberty House. And for Gill and Rooster, there’s nothing quite like putting on Operation Liberty House to express their caring and concern for ex-service members who could use a helping hand. Gill said, “My team and I are proud to be serving the homeless veterans in our beautiful city.”
Photo by Mark Henricks
