TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
VET CHECK WITH VWHRC'S SCOTT DULEBOHN 8/26/26
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It's our vet with the Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center. It's gonna buy. Thank you for your service on the Liz Callaway show with Nick's number.
SPEAKER_00Today, speaking of the devil, but he's more like an angel.
SPEAKER_01Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm mm. Yeah. It's a beautiful Wednesday.
SPEAKER_03We got mm-mms instead of doo-doos.
SPEAKER_00Doo-doos. Happy happy. Happy? Happy.
SPEAKER_01Happy happy.
SPEAKER_00Um it's been a real crappy day. I don't know what you're talking about.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's not a bad day. We learned not to say bad day.
SPEAKER_01It's beautiful out.
SPEAKER_00It's beautiful out.
SPEAKER_01I love.
SPEAKER_00Um we're alive. We're well. Free. We're free.
SPEAKER_01Do your thing.
SPEAKER_00Do your thing. Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_01You can wake up today and do whatever you want. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Look at you. What are you looking at? A weirdo. Duh.
SPEAKER_00I think we should just start a good news radio station, and all we talk about is good stuff. Oh, that'll take like five seconds. Yeah. I'd always be on time then.
SPEAKER_01All the grumpy angry people would turn the station.
SPEAKER_00I'm telling you. I'm trying to help, but it's like, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, try and do all this community service work and make sure that, you know, things are amplified and the right people are getting the message out.
SPEAKER_01It's a lot of work. People have no clue.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It's a lot.
SPEAKER_01It's a lot.
SPEAKER_00But it's a labor of love. It is. Yeah. We lost Dolly Parton. That makes it a crappy day.
SPEAKER_01We lost another veteran last week as well over at the tiny home. So we did. Yeah. Oh, man. Two real quick. Mr. Benjamin Humes. Uh he moved in about four months ago with us at the Tiny Homes. Uh 68 years old. Uh he was over with Echo for a while. Um, and they brought him over. Uh he passed away in his sleep and in the tiny house. So um he was very happy there though. He was always smiling. Uh, we've got some photos and stuff. His post the post will be going out today um for him with his branch of service and some photos from the stand downs and stuff like that that he attended with us. Uh, and the cookout that we just had over there a couple weeks ago. He was out and um just had a great day. But uh he has gone to be with the big guy and uh no more pain and suffering, so we are happy for that.
SPEAKER_00And that's what happens when you put yourself out there, you it's inevitable that you know you're just gonna get hurt. I mean, yeah you have to deal with that.
SPEAKER_01It's been a lot this month. We're so we're a little behind with some things with uh trying to stay on track of it. We've uh had Dale pass away and then Benjamin. Um and then shoot, I was out for a few weeks with the crazy sinus infection and uh the earache. It took me three rounds of antibiotics to get rid of that thing. Really? Yeah. Yeah, it's been fun. But I'm happy.
SPEAKER_00Okay, feeling better. All right, well, that's good. That's good. Now, moving forward.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's busy.
SPEAKER_00That's been my my theme today. Moving forward, moving forward, like an hour ahead, or um, well, you know, I I had a hiccup. That's what Rocket Mortgage is calling it. A hiccup. Um, and I'm closing today. That's fantastic. And uh I said it's not a hiccup, but let's I I said moving forward, don't stop anything, just keep going. Yeah. Um, and so moving forward is a theme. You know, we got a a new senator kind of heading our way, most likely. Uh god willing, we won't get the Democrat. We'll get the Democrat-ish person. Um and we will move forward.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I don't even think we have that question if we don't have a Republican. That's I don't know what I'd do then. I probably wouldn't want to stay here.
SPEAKER_00Could you imagine?
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah. Yeah, I don't know that I would want to stay here if that occurs.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's not gonna be good.
SPEAKER_01No.
SPEAKER_00Um, and so we have an event coming up at your place on Friday.
SPEAKER_01We do.
SPEAKER_00So do you have anything planned for us Friday? Do you have some people?
SPEAKER_01No, we're gonna lock we're gonna lock you in. Oh, we're gonna lock us over. We're gonna make you wait out front.
SPEAKER_00Wonderful. Do you have any people?
SPEAKER_01Did we ever get you did we get you a key over there, Nick?
SPEAKER_03No.
SPEAKER_01I'll get you a key. Oh, really?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I gotta get open everything up.
SPEAKER_01No, Phil gets it, and Phil loves getting there early anyway, so he'll be there.
SPEAKER_03But you're gonna get me a key? All right.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, just in case something happens. All right. That way that way you got the place. All right. Um, that was wild too. That was like a week ago somebody stole the knocks box off of the main one for the the flooring center, so it had all the keys to every uh storefront.
SPEAKER_00Oh my did they use them?
SPEAKER_01Uh we didn't have anything stolen, but they they changed them out like four or five days later.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01I was like, all right, if y'all aren't that worried about it, I guess. Um but yeah, somebody came and took all the keys to to every business there in the shopping center. So we just got some new keys uh over there. So Friday should be good. We'll have I say I don't know, we'll get you at least 10, 15 veterans if you'd like uh to speak um and come on the air. But uh they can come over there. We're also doing uh we're gonna change up our uh Thursdays. So any veteran that wants to come over there and eat on Thursdays, we're gonna do 50% off um for any veteran to come in and eat on Thursday. So that uh starts next week. Okay. Um and that post will be coming out.
SPEAKER_00And are you closed on Saturdays then?
SPEAKER_01We are closed on Saturdays unless we have an event. This Saturday we have an event over there. Uh there's a book signing, it's from 12 to 2. Nice. Uh veteran wrote a book and he wants to come over there and do his book signing.
SPEAKER_00Nice. A local?
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Wow. Maybe you should bring him on as a guest. We can do that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Speaking of a local author, uh, Lumbalage member 001. Oh Jim Evans. Mr. Jim. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You seen him lately? Uh I saw some posts online, but I have not seen him.
SPEAKER_00I haven't seen him lately either.
SPEAKER_03Hopefully he's doing all right. Hopefully he can join us.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I hope so.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I haven't seen him. So, Jim, if you're listening, he said he doesn't get a chance to listen much anymore either. So that was the last time we saw him.
SPEAKER_01That's an incredible man. He's done an incredible amount of things for this county. So really?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah. Jim Evans?
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Wow.
SPEAKER_01A lot with homelessness and really insane.
SPEAKER_00I don't think we knew about that.
SPEAKER_01And saving life and and babies.
SPEAKER_03Um we knew he was very active, uh, very pro-life. Remember, he told us the story?
SPEAKER_01Incredible man.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, he told us the story a long time ago when he got out of Vietnam.
SPEAKER_01If you get some time to sit down and and you want to talk, Mr. Jim is uh he is an incredible human being. So definitely recommend having a conversation with him.
SPEAKER_00We have brought him on the air a few times, but I don't think I knew about that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. He's done a lot all over Ori County. Shoot, all over the country. He's he's helped out all over um protests and veteran things. Um but just an incredible guy. He actually sat down, um, working on uh my book there uh with veteran homelessness. Um we're working on it. It's uh slow process, but immediately he he jumped in and said, Absolutely, I'll help out with that and and read over things. So um Wow. It's a work in progress. It's gonna take a while, but um it should be cool. Okay. Hopefully it helps.
SPEAKER_00So you're working on a book. You're working on um what else? You have the stand down coming up.
SPEAKER_01So we've changed those to Dale, uh deploying aid, linking everyone, veteran resource day. We just had one our first one last Friday. We had 15 veterans there. Um, so that was very nice. Uh they were able to get all kinds of items, have a good conversation with the folks on the property. Um, and that that's kind of the refocus with this is we're trying to we're trying to get away from the repeat offender of showing up to four or five stand downs and getting these items and not seeing any progress. I want to see I want to see you getting these items and I want to see a benchmark of where you're at and where you're going forward um and how we can help you get there, or somebody else can help you get there. But um I don't I don't think the the reason for these is so that you can show up to five or six of them a year um and get all the same items uh and then zero progress on your end. So um we we want to see you getting better and taking these items and and going.
SPEAKER_03And that's something that we all should have learned in the military is accountability. One of the first things to drill into your head.
SPEAKER_01I and that's part of the problem. I just met with um the Ory County uh homeless, I guess she's Ory County Homeless Director um out of Conway. Um so she's kind of going around to the groups and kind of going, all right, where are we at?
SPEAKER_00Meredith or some m Melissa's Michelle, I believe is her name.
SPEAKER_01Um but she came around, met with me, said, what's the biggest obstacles here? What's going on? Do we have enough funding? Um a lot of good questions. Um I do think we have enough funding. I think um we spend a lot of money here in Ori County. I think that's why we continue to get a lot of homeless population here is because we have such good resources here. Um but the the question. The question is do we have markers or benchmarks in place for the homeless coming in and getting these items? And are they getting better or are they doing their part to to get back on their feet? Um and I think we kind of have a a lack of accountability there of where where are you at now instead of uh just showing up, like I said, at every stand down and getting the same items, and then you're not going out and doing your end of the bargain. Uh, and that's not fair to the taxpayers, that's not fair to the businesses. The WWMBF just posted um their they did an article on homelessness, they just posted it. Um about the it was brought up in the meeting.
SPEAKER_03The council meeting last night.
SPEAKER_01Um so the Broadway businesses all came um and said that they're seeing an influx of homeless there and they're scared, their customers are scared down there. Um I don't necessarily believe it's an influx, I think they've been there.
SPEAKER_00Um I just think that they're running out of woods. Yeah. Because of all the development they've been exposed.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Physically exposed.
SPEAKER_01I I think the numbers still about the same. Um we do see people that get that come in from other states now. We just had an email yesterday from somebody up in New Hampshire that saw us, and they're like, hey, how do we get down there and get a tiny home? It's like we have an issue here. Like, you're in New Hampshire, I can hook you up with some resources in New Hampshire, let's get you back on your feet. If you want to get back down here, let's get something in place first before we just jump six, seven states down and and do that, and somebody else is making sure all of that happens for you. Um so it's it's a huge problem, but um I think the biggest thing from that meeting was the accountability um with our homeless population of getting them like maybe a two-strike, three-strike thing, like we can give you resources, but if you're not doing you're you're into the bargain on the second or third time, and like I I can't keep helping you and enabling you to to just keep living on the street. So um we have to keep taking care of that. But maybe a in a a group facility um with the city downtown somewhere where maybe uh once a week the homeless population can show up, kind of check in, um and you're able to have a a tracking accountability of these folks um coming in for these resources so we can get them better because that is the goal is not to just keep staying homeless and the thing is is that if you're homeless, it's because of and whatever that reason is, you have to work on that reason.
SPEAKER_00And nine times out of ten, I don't need to do a study, it's some kind of substance abuse. It is and then after that it's mental health, and sometimes it's mental health with substance abuse, which makes it impossible.
SPEAKER_01Um and so And no matter what you do, you are the bad guy and they hate you, and there is never enough.
SPEAKER_00Well, look at what's happened with the uh the fresh brew coffee place and the protesting and they're saying there's nothing there's nothing here. Um and there is something there.
SPEAKER_01So it's this area ha they have done a lot in Ori County with funding um and the groups that there is a lot here. You go to other areas and you might see one organization or the county themselves that are trying to to work the the situation. Um, but you have multiple groups here, multiple beds, multiple places. Um I personally think it's kind of the the repeat, a repeat, a repeat, and now new folks that are homeless, and then you've got the repeat of three, four, five times.
SPEAKER_00It's uh gathering up.
SPEAKER_01And it just keeps piling up and piling up, and eventually you gotta go, all right, band-aid's ripped off. Like we've we've helped so many times here, and you're not doing anything on your end to to make this better.
SPEAKER_00You know, my uh you may have may or may not have heard my saga with the the the homeless drug addict who got I got her a place in the shelter. I had called you about her uh This would be the crazy cat lady.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I know, yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_00And so she's she so she has the ability to sue again.
SPEAKER_01Oh, good Lord.
SPEAKER_00So for a fourth time now, September 9th, I gotta go back to court.
SPEAKER_01Are you serious?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um so she's now suing the owners of the cats, and um I'm being dragged in as a witness. Um and so even though my case was d dismissed with prejudice, I now have to go back. Okay. So she's capable of doing that and finding the money to file. It's not it's not free to file laws. So um so she cares more about the the supposed money she thinks that 13-year-old sick cats are. Um but you know what I'm saying? Like there's something mentally wrong with people. And she has lots of videos out there saying she's bipolar and she's uh something else too. Oh, ADD, and you know, she has videos.
SPEAKER_01Can we just get her a kitten?
SPEAKER_00Good point. But I wouldn't do that to the kitten. I mean, I'm not an an animal abuser. So um, yeah, I already saved two. I'm gonna have to end up saving that one.
SPEAKER_03This may sound crass and and cold hearted, but it reminds me of the old adage when you go to wildlife preserves and they have walking trails, and what's the first thing that they tell you? Don't feed it. Don't feed the animals. And why is that? Because they keep coming back for more, and it's and they forget the ability of how to hunt on their own.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Does that seem to apply here, maybe?
SPEAKER_01Uh it does, especially with all the resources we have here and really good groups that that do provide incredible uh resources for these folks. Um, I think you you can definitely fix it. I think you can even I think you can end it, but you have to get all of the the financial hands out of the pot because there's so many. Um and it is I mean it's a it turns into a business um with with some of it. And if you don't have homeless people now, you don't get grants and you don't get funding.
SPEAKER_03So well, that's why it's it's being perpetuated in LA. They saw that it was big business. I mean it's big.
SPEAKER_01They encourage it. Like it's big. You will get a I mean, you can get a lot of money from the the the county, the the state, the federal government. Um, but if the the homeless population leaves and they're gone, now you don't have anybody there to operate or take care of. So um And you must perpetuate the bureaucracy. I said that when I got here that I shouldn't have this job where there should be stuff already taken care of for these veterans coming out to to fix this thing. But we also need accountability where it's a two, three strike policy here, and you if you don't get back on your feet with all of the resources we have here, it is your fault. Like you have failed yourself multiple times, not just once.
SPEAKER_00For example, this cat lady was accepted into the program shelter, had to fulfill the role, didn't want to spend the time. She says it's too long and uh I don't need it that long. I said, Well, if you don't need it, then you know you prove you don't need it, then okay. But then she fails a drug test the next day. And you can't stay if you're on drugs, actively doing drugs. You cannot stay. And so you have to wait now 30 days to get back in, and the fresh brewed coffee house says, That's cruel.
SPEAKER_01That's cruel. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Wha who's being more cruel? Enabling a drug addict to stay a drug addict?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that it is, that's terrible.
SPEAKER_00Or tough love.
SPEAKER_01You they need tough love. We all need tough love sometimes. Um, it doesn't feel great while you're in that storm, but when you get out of it, like you have earned something and you don't want to go back.
SPEAKER_03And you you appreciate it when you're gonna do it.
SPEAKER_01You see that you see that switch flip too. Like folks come into our program and and I mean we'll have folks that come in next day getting a job, next day doing what they're supposed to, going over and applying for benefits, and then we have folks that will come into the house and it is put your feet up in comfort time, uh and that doesn't work out very well for them.
SPEAKER_00Um you know what, and we have to come to terms with that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you do.
SPEAKER_00We have to come to terms with you know, the fact that we have to be more discerning on who gets the services because honestly, the people who really, really, really need it that are living in the car with their children are being denied the services because of the repeat repeat uh offenders in this.
SPEAKER_01That's it. And they keep coming back and coming back and coming back.
SPEAKER_00There are people that are truly homeless by no fault of their own. You know, just un un you know, escaping a bad thing.
SPEAKER_01I had a lady that just moved in a couple weeks ago was in her car for I think they said almost three years, was sleeping in her car because she she didn't want to go take resources from other people, and it's like, what? No. Like, let's get you in off the street, and she's been great. Um, motivated, helps, gets up, doesn't need to be told to come help out in the in the the back there with um items for its stand down or people delivering stuff. She jumps right up and comes over and starts helping, and you you see that, and it it's fantastic because we can help that situation.
SPEAKER_03We got a vet who's asking a question about tax returns and things related. Best to handle that by calling you.
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, give us a call. We've got a couple folks that uh we use a number eight four three four two seven four five six eight. And uh we'll get you directed and connected with the right folks over there. Um I guess for just about anything with veterans. If you got a question about something and you're stumped or your chat GPT isn't answering it, give us a call. Um, we've got some great folks over there at the office that uh if we don't if we don't offer it, we'll definitely be able to get you somewhere.
SPEAKER_00All right. Well, thank you so much, Scott Dilabond. You can go to uh the VWHRC.org website to donate on a regular basis or to find help for you or if you're a spouse of a veteran. Um and also come see us broadcasting live from the Veterans Cafe and Museum this Friday morning, sixty eight.
SPEAKER_01That's gonna be great.
SPEAKER_00All right. Thank you so much, Scott.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.