Operation Texas Strong, a DFW nonprofit, is collecting donated RVs that are then refurbished and given to homeless veterans.
The non-profit organization, based in Weatherford, is run by Bobby and Peggy Crutsinger.
The Crutsingers communicate with social workers to determine a set of criteria that homeless veterans must meet to be eligible for an RV. They also renovate the RVs before handing them off to the veterans who are selected.
Their website states that the organization’s goal “is to get homeless veterans off of the street one RV at a time.”
“They deserve so much more than what I could give them. But when you give a veteran a home, it helps them rebuild their life,” said Bobby.
“Once you’re off the street, after that, it gets a little bit easier,” said Peggy. “You’ve got the ‘Oomph’ to be able to do what you need to do to eat, get a job, and do what you got to do, but it all starts with getting them off the street.”
The most recent RV was given to U.S. Army Specialist David Roberts, as reported by Fox 4. Roberts, who served in Iraq, had been without a stable living situation for the past year.
Now, he has received an RV that he can call home.
”I feel grateful it’s a little unreal. I don’t know the words for it. It’s unreal, but I’m very grateful, I feel blessed,” Roberts said.
Moving forward, Peggy would like to expand Operation Texas Strong to help veterans outside of Texas as well.
“We would like to go out of state too,” Peggy said to Valley Central News. “But it is still going to take a little bit of time for us to get there, but we are still trying to find other places that will help us out.”
Homelessness among veterans has become an issue across the United States as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reports that 33,136 veterans experienced homelessness in 2022.
In Dallas, homelessness and vagrancy have become a major concern. A study performed by Downtown Dallas Inc. found that 76% of downtown residents felt that “homelessness is a significant issue.”
In an attempt to address the homelessness crisis in Dallas, the City has announced that it will fine panhandlers up to $500 for standing on a median, as reported by The Dallas Express. Overall, however, the City’s homelessness initiatives have seen little success, despite expending millions of dollars every year.
Polling conducted by The Dallas Express indicates that Dallas residents favor a one-stop-shop for homeless services, on the model of San Antonio’s highly successful Haven for Hope.
This approach differs substantially from the City’s current “housing first” strategy, which does not address the root causes of homelessness and vagrancy.
