Our speaker for our March 18, 2025 meeting was David Patch CDR USN (Ret). After serving for 25 years in the U. S. Navy, and then another 20 years as a contractor for the Navy, David retired in 2011 and is now working to provide vital services for veterans.
David is the co-founder and President of Maine Veterans in Need whose mission is "to assist veterans and their dependents who are in need, to advocate for those in active crisis/emergency, to prevent homelessness, and to help those who are homeless to transition into stable housing." While many other agencies that are open 9 to 5, five days a week and provide longer term services, Maine Veterans in Need is there to provide immediate assistance until other agencies can take over. That assistance may come in the form of putting a homeless veteran in a hotel for the night, or funding immediate needs for food or bills. The veteran or their dependents can then be referred to other agencies that can provide longer term help.
David Patch
David explained that there are presently 115 chronically unhoused veterans in Maine, 14 of who are unsheltered. He also told us that they are receiving 29 new referrals a month from sources such as 211 Maine, other agencies, the VA, Maine Bureau of Veteran Services, and first-responders. Below is the diagram of the network of veterans service organizations in Maine of which Maine Veterants in Need is a part.
Thank you to Maine Veterans in Need and to all the organizations in this network who are serving those who served.
For more information go to Maine Veterans in Need