Blog
NewCourtland Housing with Supportive Services Graduates Three Veterans
- Posted on Nov 11, 2022
Our Veterans have made countless sacrifices to protect our freedoms, and we as a nation are grateful. At NewCourtland, we are working hard to ensure that homeless Veterans throughout Philadelphia receive the resources, support, and guidance they need to attain stability.
Through the NewCourtland Housing with Supportive Services initiative, we offer a hybrid housing approach to quickly house Veterans and other high-risk persons experiencing homelessness, while at the same time providing social service coordination to establish access to a full spectrum of social programs along with a robust healthcare navigation component. The NewCourtland team that spearheads this initiative includes our Chief Operating Officer Max Kent; Health Services Coordinator, Dr. Ashley Ritter; Social Services Coordinator, Eric Sodano; Program Manager Madlyne Santiago; Veteran Liaison, Krissi Judd; and The Apartments at St. Bart’s Property Manager, Bianca Herrera. There are currently 24 homeless Veterans and six high-risk homeless individuals in our program.
As of yesterday, we are proud to share that the following three Veterans graduated from the program:
- Andrena Ingram
- Adrena served 7.5 years in the Army as an Administrative Assistant, eventually becoming a Drill Sargent. After falling on hard times, Adrena worked hard to meet the goals she set to better herself. She is an advocate for HIV, mental health, and other senior issues, while also a mother of three and a Pastor at the St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Mt. Airy. Her hope is to start a women’s group at St. Bart’s soon.
- Michael McGuigan
- In 1973 Michael joined the Air Force at 17 years old. During his time in basic training, he learned he had a muscular disease in his arm and shortly thereafter was honorably discharged. However, the ongoing pain Michael endured prevented him from maintaining a job and he was forced to live in his car for several years. Through Love Pray Peace Project (https://lp3.org), he was able to fight for his right to receive the financial and the necessary medical care. He is feeling great, living in a home, in a stable loving relationship, and helps her care for her disabled son.
- Laurence Thompson
- Laurence entered the Marine Corps at 17 years old. He served for 6 years as an E4 and completed 1 tour overseas. After he was discharged, he too fell on hard times. With mounting medical bills and poor health, Laurence ended up homeless. Thanks to the Love Pray Peace Project (https://lp3.org), he was able to receive financial and necessary medical care. He recently had surgery and underwent cancer treatment of his larynx but is happy to share he is cancer free!
To learn more about the program please download the NewCourtland Housing with Supportive Services brochure or download an application
Any questions, please email us at housingwithservices@