Bridgeport nonprofit serving homeless veterans stifled by vehicle troubles

Critical deliveries of food and clothing have come to a halt at a Bridgeport nonprofit that serves homeless veterans.

News 12 Staff

Sep 26, 2019, 8:24 PM

Updated 1,843 days ago

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Critical deliveries of food and clothing have come to a halt at a Bridgeport nonprofit that serves homeless veterans.
A delivery van play a crucial role in the day-to-day operations at Homes for the Brave on Park Avenue. But Executive Director Vince Santillii says the vehicle's transmission recently blew, leaving them at a standstill.
Their deliveries benefit dozens of veterans who live at Homes for the Brave, like Ezra Priest, who served in the Marine Corps. Priest was homeless until News 12 Connecticut helped get him a spot with Homes for the Brave back in May.
Santilli says the problem is that between state and federal funding cuts he simply does not have the money to repair the van, which means residents could be in danger of not getting the supplies they need.
"It's so critical to what we do because when people have donations and they want to get them to us, we are able to then get out there and pick them up, and sometimes it's huge deliveries, sometimes it's food, sometimes it's clothing, toiletries, mattresses," says Santilli."All the things that are integral to us running this program for the men and women who have served our country."
Santilli says a new transmission would cost about $4,000.