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COATSVILLE – The Mary E. Walker House, located on the grounds of the Coatesville VA Medical Center, is a 30-bed transitional residence for homeless women veterans.
This home is one of only three in the country for female veterans. The facility is named in honor of Mary E. Walker, who served during the Civil War and received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Walker is the only woman to this day to receive this honor.
The mission of the home is to offer a safe environment where female veterans, many of whom have problems with alcohol or drug addictions, can stay. These women are given a place to live while they work to re-establish themselves as members of the community and regain ownership of their lives.
The home offers the women therapy, job development skills and job assistance, educational opportunities, assistance with VA medical benefits, assistance finding housing and recovery. The women are allowed to stay for 12 months, but if necessary, they can be granted a stay of up to 24 months.
On Feb. 12, nine members of the Juniata County Business and Professional Women’s group visited the home. For the second year, the local BPW wanted to do something for these female veterans to let them know that we appreciate their sacrifice for our country and they are not forgotten.
Club members took decorative boxes and filled them with goodies, such as journals, pens, candy, puzzle books, etc., for the residents at the Walker House. The club members decided to visit around Valentine’s Day because to show the ladies that someone does care about them. The project was called “Love for our Veterans,” and the care boxes were “Gifts of Love.”
In addition to taking the boxes, club members did a craft with the Walker House residents, which was well-received.
Some of the BPW members who did not visit last year were surprised by the facilities. The word “transitional home” may imply a stand-alone home, not a facility resembling a hospital. The home is housed in the same building as offices, a male veteran’s transitional home, a cafeteria and more.
The Walker House is located on the second floor of the building, and is similar to a dormitory or nursing facility. There is a common room, offices, a laundry room, common bathroom areas, an exercise room (which doubles as a lounge), some storage closets, and the rooms that the women occupy. Some of the women have a room to themselves, but others share a room, much like a college dorm.
Those who hadn’t visited last year were given a tour of the facilities, while the rest of the group from BPW assisted the residents with the craft.
“We had a nice visit, speaking and interacting with the ladies who were present for our visit,” Lona Henry, BPW public relations chairperson, said.
The home was not completely full, housing about 22 residents. Some of the women have daytime jobs or were gone with a weekend pass, so club members met with about 14 residents during the visit.
Although they have families, many of the women do not get visitors. The unfortunate thing is that by the time they reach the Mary Walker House, much of their family has given up on them, Henry said.
“They were surprised that we would travel two hours just to visit with them for a little while. We talked with them about their experiences, what part of the military they were in, and where they were from,” Henry said.
“The ages of the women varied, with some of them only in their early 20s, to some who got out of the service right after Vietnam. Some of them were forthcoming about the problems they are dealing with, while others were a little shy,” Henry said.
“The ladies were welcome to choose a gift box during the visit. Some of them opened them right away, others chose to wait and have the anticipation of a surprise later on. We also took homemade whoopie pies for the women as a treat, they were just as excited for those as they were for their gift boxes. They were so appreciative of everything we brought that day, especially just visiting with them. Those of us who went agreed that WE really were the ones who received a blessing from our visit that day, Henry said.