CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – As 80-year-old Navy veteran Ken Hearda thought back on his time in the service, he recounted the challenges he faced.
Like a devastating fire that destroyed his section of the “beautiful ship” on which he served.
“It was blown up, I think,” Hearda said, revealing the trauma of his past.
But the most shocking part of Hearda’s story is his current situation: He hasn’t had a place to live in six years.
Hearda is one of the 135 veterans who were experiencing homelessness in 2024, making up 10% of the unhoused population in our area, according to Changing Homelessness.
Hearda‘s only place to stay was his car, a silver Chevy.
“I sleep on the driver’s seat. I pull it forward, lean it back, then shove it all the way back as far as it will go, and then I just lay there on my back,” he said.
Hearda’s car has provided him with a sense of safety for years. He usually parks in a Publix or Walmart parking lot, using his limited income to pay for laundry services and a gym membership, so he can shower.
When he first started living in his car, Hearda pictured it as camping, reminiscent of his younger days.
“It’s tough to live like this and very trying,” he said. “But once I became acclimated, it started to feel like home… However, it’s still terrifying at times because anything can happen. You can get robbed, or the worst part, you can just die on the streets. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to die like that.”
John Green, CEO of Operation Barnabas, introduced Hearda to the mission of his organization, which aims “to restore their dignity, their value, and hope when they are feeling hopeless.”
“We see a lot of veterans because they are resourceful when they come on hard times, especially our senior veterans. The housing crunch is hitting them the hardest,” Green said.
To further the mission of Operation Barnabas, Green partnered with Erick Saks, Executive Director of Operation Lifeline Inc.
Together, they established Clay County’s first permanent supportive housing for veterans, providing five veterans with long-term, private bedrooms, shared living spaces, and access to coordinated support services.
“You can’t just put a roof over somebody’s head,” Saks emphasized. “You also have to have the wrap-around supportive services. Everything from employment to health, mental health, and every aspect of someone’s life to help them get back on their feet.”
The supportive housing is in a historic home, built in the 1800s, that was once owned by the Fitzsimmons family and later housed Navy personnel returning from service at nearby Naval Air Station Lee Field in Green Cove Springs.
Now fully restored and repurposed by Operation Lifeline Inc., the home serves as a refuge for veterans experiencing homelessness.
“We named each one of these rooms after ships that were retired in Green Cove Springs,” Saks said, explaining that some of the spaces will be used for VA social workers or others providing those wrap-around services to chat with the veterans.
For veterans like Hearda, this new opportunity is life-changing. He never thought he’d sleep in a bed again.
“It’s pretty heartwarming,” Hearda said. “It’s going to be...something different with trying to get acclimated to getting into a bed again. I’ve only slept in a bed two times, no three times in the last six years.”
Once he claims his bed in his new barracks, he looks forward to one simple pleasure.
“To be able to open up the door and go in, and be able to get a drink of water and orange juice or milk, or to turn on a stove, fry up some bacon or eggs or something,” he said, his eyes lighting up at the thought.
