Sheridan VA programs helped Navy veteran move from homelessness to homeownership, VA says

A Navy veteran who was once homeless and addicted to heroin now works full-time at Sheridan VA and bought his first home in April 2026 using a VA home loan, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The VA said David Korst served in the Navy as a machinist's mate second class from 2007 to 2013. Around 2018, a bike crash in Oahu, Hawaii, left him with a broken jaw, and he said he became addicted after being given pain medication. According to the VA, he went through treatment in Oahu, Salt Lake City and Sioux Falls over the next five years without lasting success.

Korst arrived in Sheridan in 2023 with two evictions on his record and was living in a tent and his car, the VA said. He entered residential substance use treatment at Sheridan VA, where he was connected with a vocational rehabilitation specialist. During treatment, a landlord offered him a month-to-month lease.

According to the VA, Korst entered Sheridan VA's Transitional Work program in February 2024 and moved into its supported employment program that October, which led to his housekeeping job at the facility.

"I still struggle," Korst said in the release. "But now I have a team that helps guide me back."

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/50