Tampa, Florida - At Tampa Crossroads, Josefina Reyes helps veterans find education, job and housing resources. "We help veterans become more safe, in a safe location," she explains to a man at the counter.
As a veteran herself, Reyes knows what it's like to leave the military and suddenly feel alone and desperate. When she first left the Army and returned to Tampa in 1998, at times she and her young daughter were homeless and living in a car.
"We found ourselves at rest stops, freshening up at a rest stop," says Reyes, who eventually got help from family. "It's hard to ask for help."
Reyes says women veterans often face unique challenges when they return home, like finding good childcare and counseling for sexual trauma, and those were among the issues discussed Tuesday at a forum in Ybor City. The meeting, organized by the Hillsborough County Commission on the Status of Women, focused on how to help women veterans readjust to civilian life.
"As we've heard today, the need, the gaps, the numbers, the tragedy is staggering," says the group's chair, Yvonne Fry.
Even though women have served in the military for years, a surprising trend surfaced at the forum. Counselors say some women returning home don't even consider themselves veterans and they're not aware of the military benefits they're due.
When it comes to the number of women veterans, Florida ranks third in the nation and with military draw-downs overseas those numbers are expected to increase.
As for Reyes, she hopes to help pave a smoother road home for women vets. "And let them know they're are not alone," she says.