Last month, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima announced that the city had joined a handful of others across the nation by having zero homeless veterans.
In 2014, The United States Housing and Urban Development Department estimated that on any given night just under 50,000 homeless veterans are on the streets in the United States, and between 2013 and 2014 there was an 11 percent decrease in homelessness among veterans, and a decline by 33 percent from 2009 to 2014.
Robin Rollins works in El Paso as a Community Employment Coordinator for the Homeless Veteran Community Employment Program rolled out by The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs this year.
The program is aimed at using community members to work with local employers and college recruiters to help homeless veterans; or those at risk find long-term employment.
Rollins says she wanted to be a part of this program, because she understands first-hand what it’s like to be a homeless veteran.
“I thought that I was the best candidate, because I myself had been in those shoes and what it took to get myself employed so now I want to give back to my fellow veterans in finding work.”
After her transitioning out of both the Army and Navy, Rollins found herself homeless in El Paso and ended up staying at a Veteran Transitional Center and the YWCA. While at both facilities, Rollins worked to earn her bachelors degree in Family and Child Science and a Master's Degree in Social Work from New Mexico State University. Rollins says that while she was a student at NMSU, she did her best to fit in and not let people know the challenges she was facing.
“It certainly made me a good actress, because I hid very well. I wanted to blend in. I didn’t want people to know that I was homeless. I tried to represent myself the best I could with what I got. I always made sure my clothing was clean and pressed, and didn’t share too much with my colleagues about my circumstance or the situation I was in,” says Rollins.
After gaining her master's degree Rollins didn’t find employment immediately and that left her with some frustration. However, she spent her time volunteering in the community and learning more about different social services and programs that exist to help people in need.
“Here I am, my degree and no job...Was it worth all the sacrifice? Was it worth living in the shelter? Was it worth eating the sardines and crackers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” says Rollins.
Today, Rollins leads a “Job Club” for veterans that offers resume help, educational opportunities, and networking with other veterans along with business owners to help spread the word about employment opportunities in the area. Rollins says that it is important for people to realize just how close they could be to being homeless.
“Not everybody thinks of themselves as homeless, because maybe they’re just living paycheck to paycheck. They are living with family and they don’t think as homeless, but yet they really truly are. Everybody can fall on low economic times, but know that there are programs out there that can help rebuilt lives.”
Rollins serves as the person who helps people find a job or a program that may help rebuild a life. She knows that it can be done, because she has been there.
