Mo McPhaul is an Air Force Veteran and CEO of Mo’s Heroes, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless and unemployed veterans.
Month of the Military Family is a great time to pause and recognize those who serve or have served our country and continue to give back in meaningful ways.
U.S. Air Force veteran and mom Shadonna ‘Mo” McPhaul knew she wanted to continue to help others when she retired from the military. She hated seeing the stories about homeless military heroes which prompted her to start Mo's Heroes, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless veterans find temporary housing, employment, and a path back to the civilian life they gave up to keep America safe.
As Mo puts it, the mission of Mo’s Heroes is simple: To reduce the U.S. homeless veteran population through prevention; outreach and education; and community partnerships.
The annual homeless point-in-time count, conducted in January 2015, identified approximately 48,000 homeless vets across the country, and according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, “ . . .while more than 40,000 homeless vets receive monthly compensation or pension benefits, it is not enough to find affordable housing.”
Mo’s Heroes takes a holistic and compassionate approach, focusing on counseling to help veterans get back on track, housing and food assistance through her Charles D. Navarro Housing Assistance program which helps homeless veterans find housing and helps alleviate food insecurity; and career coaching. Additionally, Mo’s Heroes provides transportation services to veterans who need help relocating or who are traveling to find new work opportunities.
Mo’s efforts are tireless and just as she committed her life to serving her country, she has placed just as much passion into being there for fellow service members who need a hand up. “Our Veterans deserve our attention and at Mo’s Heroes, we provide programs like the Employment Academy that helps them prepare for new jobs. This is the ‘Total Care Force’ and no matter when they served, whether it was in Afghanistan or Vietnam, we want to help them,” offered Mo McPhaul. “We want them to be prepared and able to re-enter the labor force, so we focus on employment and being supportive.”
Mo also spends a lot of time setting up resume workshops and talking to businesses who share in her commitment to helping veterans.
“If our communities work together, we not only can, but we will be able to dramatically decrease Veteran homelessness and unemployment,” said a hopeful McPhaul. “We can do this.”
To learn more about Mo’s Heroes visit www.mosheroes.org.