Linda Woodall is a clinical case manager with the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program under the Department of Veterans Affairs.
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR VETERANS?
“We go out, find them and connect them to the VA. The VA has expanded its homeless program and added more case workers. It’s a new national program begun two years ago. I see approximately 60 to 120 veterans a month. Of those, I enroll 10 to 20 in health care.”
WHAT DO YOU HOOK THEM UP WITH?
“Work study, vocational rehab, work therapy — we try to help them find jobs. National conference calls are made once a month to see if there are any openings for veterans who want to relocate. We have stand-downs where we try to get the homeless all in one place and do a field hospital — dental work, immunizations, screenings. It’s like a big health fair. We also do a lot of networking and partnering in the community.”
WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF VA PARTNERING?
“Every year the VA has grant money. They encourage agencies to apply for transitional housing or treatment for vets so they can accommodate more. We do outreach to all the missions — Sulzbacher, Trinity, City Rescue Mission, Clara White, Beaches Mission House and the River House in Arlington, a day treatment center. Volunteers of America have scattered-site houses. They take those with permanent mental illness.”
HOW MANY VETERANS ARE HOMELESS?
“According to the last census, there are 13,000 homeless in Jacksonville; 22 percent are veterans is what they estimate. A lot of them live in camps that are booby-trapped.”
EDUCATION
Social work was Woodall’s major at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
WHY GO INTO THIS FIELD?
“I was in the U.S. Navy. When I got out in 1992, I went to school full-time. I’m a people person. I love working with people, plus my dad is a Vietnam veteran. I started working in a drug addiction center for a private, not-for-profit agency, then got picked up by the VA.”
WHAT’S MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?
“Seeing the change in people. It’s just like watching a flower bloom. [At first contact] they are shut down and closed off. After they’ve been in treatment and start healing, they’re a whole different person. There’s such a stigma with the homeless population. Society doesn’t seem to understand that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness. They have degrees, certifications and skills but turn to drugs and alcohol [to cope with trauma].”
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE?
“Being patient and trying to get services in place. There is a big need for mental and health care in this community. It’s hard waiting to get the paperwork done and not lose them back to the streets before it’s done.”
HOMETOWN
Cumberland, Md.
OUTSIDE INTERESTS
Woodall is a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She also teaches sociology, marriage and family classes at FCCJ for active duty military. Gardening or walks on the beach help her unwind. For entertainment she enjoys the movie “Shrek” or the television show “Highlander.” Carrabba’s Italian Grill is her favorite restaurant.
FAMILY
Woodall’s husband, Al, is a Navy supply officer on the USS Underwood. They reside at Intracoastal West and have three children, Krissy, Ron and Melissa.
WHO’S YOUR HERO?
“My teacher at St. Leo University, Father George Paulson. He is a Greek orthodox priest. He was such an inspiration and a challenge to me.”
— by Monica Chamness