{"id":30730,"date":"2025-07-01T20:14:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T20:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/30730\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T20:14:11","slug":"phoenix-veterans-facing-homelessness-find-help-from-arizona-diamondbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/30730\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix veterans facing homelessness find help from Arizona Diamondbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Catholic Charities MANA House provides housing, meals and workforce re-entry programs for veterans from all branches of the U.S. military. (Photo by Travis Bradley<\/a>\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n

PHOENIX \u2014 In an unsuspecting building, just off Interstate 17 and between West Cypress and West Holly streets, sits the Catholic Charities MANA House. Within those walls live approximately 70 veterans, all struggling to varying degrees with finding a home.<\/p>\n

In a state that ranks 11th in the country for veterans per capita and 10th overall in terms of the total number of veterans per state, the MANA House has found its own way of supporting this demographic in their times of need, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have joined their cause. Pitchers Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt took their efforts from the field and poured them back into an overlooked demographic in the community.<\/p>\n

The pitchers served lunch, signed autographs and mingled with residents from the transitional living center Friday as part of the team\u2019s ongoing commitment to serve the veteran community.<\/p>\n

MANA House\u2019s senior program director, Nicole Gibson, said that having the opportunity to bring in local stars like Pfaadt and Nelson results in an incredible amount of appreciation from the residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know the support we receive from the community, and they\u2019re really excited when they have the opportunity to connect this way,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks have shown their support for this group of men in more ways than one, Gibson said. In addition to Pfaadt and Nelson volunteering to serve lunch, sign autographs and shirts, the Diamondbacks also provided the entire commercial kitchen that the MANA House uses to feed their residents.<\/p>\n

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Pitchers Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt hand out autographed baseballs while Nelson discusses how to throw a curveball with residents at the Catholic Charities MANA House Friday. (Photo by Travis Bradley<\/a>\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\n

Residents such as Bruce Stewart, who recently turned 40 and served in the U.S. Army in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Stewart has learned over time that one of the biggest obstacles for veterans to overcome in their search for housing and financial support is taking the initiative to ask for help. This is his second time being unhoused since returning from service, and he knows firsthand how difficult it can be to find a helping hand, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest part is that most veterans don\u2019t believe they deserved it or earned any of that,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to intrude or whatnot, but once you get to this point, you don\u2019t have to be afraid if you\u2019ve earned it or not \u2014 we earned it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veterans often struggle with something called \u201cMoral Injury,\u201d according to National Veterans Homelessness Support. This occurs when veterans suffer considerable psychological distress due to their actions or inactions while serving that often contradict their moral or ethical code.<\/p>\n

The result is often a deep feeling of betrayal, and a number of other psychological symptoms, including:<\/p>\n