2015 Update

Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes

Did You Know?
33% of U.S. Veterans
are homeless
8% of homeless Veterans are womenmany
of whom are caring for
children
There are almost
300,000 female Veterans from the post-9/11
conflicts
Female soldiers make
up about 20% of todays active armed
forces. Almost 14,000
of them live in Connecticut.
Women are the fastest growing group
among Veterans, and
are expected to grow
to 11% of the Veteran
population by 2020.

Our Story
Since 2002, Applied Behavioral Rehabilitation Institute
(ABRI), doing business as
Homes for the Brave, has successfully provided services to
more than 966 homeless
individuals in Connecticut,
most of whom are Veterans.
In 2011, ABRI opened the
PFC Nicholas A. Madaras
Home, which houses the
Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes (FS:FH) program. This
community-based program
provides transitional supportive housing for homeless
female Veterans and their
young children.

Each resident works with a

Case Manager to develop
personal, housing, and employment goals. ABRI vocational staff coach residents in
the job search process, including resume writing, interview techniques, computer training, and other life
skills.
In 2015, FS:FH is still the only
community-based transitional supportive housing
program for female Veterans
in the state of Connecticut.

Hero Spotlight: Carolyn

Carolyn enlisted in the Army in
1986 to provide a better life
for herself and her children.
She served active duty for five
years and then served in the
Army Reserves.
Civilian life proved challenging
for Carolyn. She relocated
several times and health issues
made it difficult for her to hold
down a job. She ended up in
an emergency shelter. The
counselor at the shelter referred Carolyn to FS:FH, and
she moved in on December
26, 2013.
Alongside her case manager,
Carolyn worked to improve her
job skills, obtained a full-time
job, saved her earnings, and
was able to move into her own
apartment after 14 months at
FS:FH. Carolyn often refers to
FS:FH as her Christmas Present because the program
helped her reach her goals.

FS:FH serves women Veterans by meeting their needs

for a safe, secure home and
adequate food, and by empowering residents to move
forward with their long-term
goals: obtaining permanent
housing, achieving financial
stability, and working toward
greater self-determination.

What Weve Accomplished

Contact Us
ABRI/Homes for the Brave
655 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
203-338-0669
homesforthebrave.org

Since its inception, Female

Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes has
served 69 women and 8 children.
Housing
Upon discharge, approximately half of the women
who completed the program

moved into permanent housing. Others have moved into

VA transitional housing,
temporary living situations
with friends/family, or moved
onto higher levels of care.
Only one woman returned
to an emergency shelter.

Income
The average income for
women who completed the
FS:FH program increased by
111% (from $580 to $1225
monthly).
For more information, please
visit homesforthebrave.org.