McHenry-based TLS Veterans answers the calls that others don't pick up

Veteran Joel Van Cleve, 30, of Crystal Lake enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 with his mother's permission.

“It was right for me,” he said. “My plan was to do at least 20 years, then retire and come back home. That did not work out.”

After completing 10½ years of military service, which included tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Van Cleve was medically retired as a result of his disabilities.

When he returned home, he was disappointed to learn the job he had lined up was no longer available. He worried how he would support his wife and two children.

“We didn’t have a place to live,” Van Cleve said. “I didn’t have a job. I wasn’t getting my disability check from the VA yet. I had nothing coming in, so it was a really rough time. I wasn’t seeing any light at the end of the tunnel.”

After moving in with his sister, he began applying for any job he could and making the rounds of veterans organizations in search of assistance.

“I called so many places that say they help veterans and none of them did,” he said. “None of them were willing to help me. They never really gave a reason.”

Ray of light

Through word of mouth, Van Cleve found TLS Veterans (Transitional Living Services), a McHenry-based nonprofit that also assists veterans in Lake and Kenosha counties as well as a portion of Cook County.

TLS was founded in 1996 by Alan Belcher, a Vietnam combat veteran and licensed counselor. This year, the nonprofit celebrates 20 years of providing assistance to veterans and their families.

The organization has a food pantry and drop-in resource center in McHenry where veterans can find housing and employment assistance and mental health and substance abuse support.

“TLS was amazing,” Van Cleve said. “I called them in the middle of the day and went down there in the evening before they closed. They got me enrolled into their housing and employment program. I ended up leaving with a car full of food from their food pantry. That was a huge relief.”

Soon after, TLS provided Van Cleve with a security deposit and his first month’s rent so his family could have a home of their own. They also hired him as a peer support specialist. Today, Van Cleve is back on his feet and working as a document control specialist for a pharmaceutical company.

Reach out

Laura Franz, who joined TLS as its executive director in July 2015 after working in child welfare services, said that despite the organization’s 20-year existence, not enough people know about it.

“We want people to know that we are here. We are simply a phone call away,” she said.

The drop-in resource center, which serves more than 100 veterans each month, is staffed by veterans who are certified peer-support specialists. Some also have experience being homeless.

“There’s a comfort in talking with another veteran,” Franz said. “They don’t have to explain everything because the staff knows what they’ve gone through.

“People can call or come in with any concern or question, and we will either direct them to one or more of our programs or we will connect them with other providers in the community that may be able to help them. We try to be part of a circle of care around the veteran population.”

A unique aspect of TLS is New Horizons, a transitional housing program for homeless veterans that offers a host of support programs and has an on-site food pantry.

“There isn’t another one like it in McHenry or Lake County,” Franz said.

Located in Hebron, New Horizons can house 20 homeless veterans in a building that used to be a motel, from two months to two years. There is typically a waiting list of two to four veterans. Staff is on-hand around the clock.

An Alcoholics Anonymous group also meets at the facility on Monday nights and is open to all veterans, not just the residents.

Homelessness among veterans is much more prevalent than many people realize, Franz said.

“We’ve had veterans whose car broke down and they didn’t have money to fix it, so they lost their job and were tossed out of their housing,” she said “There are people living in their cars, in tents, someone’s basement or hotels while waiting for housing to come through.”

“It’s an awful spiral,” she said. “We help them get on their feet again.”

Last year, 45 veterans were assisted through TLS’s housing program, while 56 veterans were enrolled in their employment program.

TLS’s drop-in resource center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but the dedicated staff is known to arrive early and stay late to accommodate those who need it. They’re also available over the weekend for veterans in need of immediate assistance.

“Not only do I recommend TLS, now that I’m in a good place, I try to go back and help them out as much as I can,” Van Cleve said. “It’s sad I had to call so many different places to find one that was willing to help. In my time at TLS, I don’t remember a single instance where they turned someone away or didn’t answer the phone.”

TLS is at 5330 Elm St. in McHenry. Learn more at www.tlsveterans.org or call 815-679-6667.