Homeless veterans not forgotten this Remembrance Day

As Remembrance Day approaches, the needs of local veterans are being met through poppy donations.

But not all of those who need help are reachable.

There remain at least a half-dozen veterans living on the streets, and while some resist efforts to be placed, others are unaware they qualify for help.

Londoner Rigel Chiokis is one of them.

In the span of one year, he lost the love of his life to cancer and his small business to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So by the fall of 2020, I was pretty much out of money and out of available credit on the credit card,” he told CTV News London.

Rigel was fortunate to be taken in by a friend. But, in time, he had to move on.

Rigel Chiokis and Brian Harris, a provincial commander with the Royal Canadian Legion, are seen in London, Ont. on Nov. 6, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

“That’s when I ended up living in my car,” he said. “Not for the first in life either.”

Eventually, Rigel parked his SUV outside a local mission. It took days, but he managed to get a bed. A few days later, staff discovered he was a veteran.

Within two months, the Leave the Streets Behind (LTSB) section of the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) found him an apartment. A year later, he moved into a brand unit allocated for veterans.

Rigel, who served only one year in the forces, was shocked he qualified.

“So I never considered myself a veteran, entitled to anything,” he said.

Brian Harris, LTSB founder and RCL provincial commander, said all veterans count.

Residenza Ortona is one of several buildings in the London, Ont.-area where units are all allocated to over 40 formerly homeless veterans. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

“We consider a veteran, is a veteran is a veteran,” Harris said. “Right next door, we have a 93-year-old veteran who was homeless. We have veterans from Afghanistan to every conflict in between, and we treat them all exactly the same.”

More than 40 have been placed, giving London the distinction of being the first city in Canada to have functional zero for veterans’ homelessness.

But functional zero does not mean the need for housing has been eliminated. Harris said donations to the poppy campaign and a specific fund for homeless veterans remain vital.

He said all money goes towards giving former soldiers, like Rigel, a fresh start.

“This is the first time I’ve ever lived in a brand new home, so it’s quite nice,” Rigel concluded.