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Advocate for Bay Area homeless veterans
Thomas Brown, a United States Army Special Ops veteran, runs the organization Tampa Homeless Outreach. Each day, he helps homeless veterans in the Bay Area.
TAMPA, Fla. - Thomas Brown runs a non-profit called Tampa Homeless Outreach.
Almost every day, Brown heads into the streets around Tampa Bay looking for homeless veterans. He helps them any way he can, whether it's clothing, food, bus passes, or even motel rooms.
"My goal is to get them somewhere safe and that's it. You know, whatever that takes," Brown says. "I get pretty busy. Sometimes I leave around 7:30 a.m. and don't get home until like 5 p.m."
Brown fist bumping a homeless veteran to whom he gave supplies.
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Brown, a United States Army Special Ops veteran himself, says this proactive approach is most effective.
"You need to get out there. You need to meet them where they are, and you get a bigger picture of what's going on," Brown said. "I think it just shows a lot more respect when you meet them in their environment, and you go from there."
Tampa Homeless Outreach is an operation of one, just Brown. He says that helps avoid the red tape some larger organizations must deal with. He does, however, have five board members who he keeps in the loop on where money is being spent.
"I carry a credit card. If I run into a vet or a family sleeping in their car, I can put them in a hotel right now. I don't have to go through a whole bunch of channels to see if it's okay," Brown says.'
Brown handing out supplies to homeless veterans
Brown says about half the people he comes across prefer life on the streets. Many homeless veterans reject his help.
"If they reject me, I go back, and I keep going back. I'm kind of hardheaded like that. I try to wear them down," he says.
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On Nov. 8, Brown interacted with a familiar face in a Vietnam veteran named Meldon Scott, who has been on and off the streets for six years. That night, Brown put Scott up in a hotel room.
Scott closes the door to his hotel room as Brown leaves him for the night.
According to Brown, Scott has "been on the street for a long time," and says that his "first time approaching him (Scott) was almost seven years ago."
Scott had been released from the VA hospital just the night before and someone had already stolen his medication and took his wheelchair.
"It’s rough. A lot of people steal everything you have," Scott said. "I’m dirty, I don’t feel good, I don’t feel good about myself, but, I feel better if I clean myself up."
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Brown’s work is all over, not just in Tampa. He works to find veterans in need all over Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough Counties. In fact, he's traveled as far as West Palm and Jacksonville to help veterans.
Brown interacting with Scott, a homeless Vietnam veteran, on the street.
Brown says all the work he does is made possible by the generosity of others.
More information on Tampa Homeless Outreach can be found here, including a donation tab.
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