Helping homeless veterans in Westchester

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Alvin Cook gave Fox 5 a tour of his new apartment in Mount Vernon, New York. Alvin learned his cleaning skills in the U.S. Navy. His friends nicknamed him "Sarge" because of his two tours in Vietnam. But when he came home, he began battling his own demons.

For several years, Sarge lived at a park in New Rochelle. Then a chance meeting two years ago changed his life.

Thomas DeFilippo is a housing specialist with Hope Community Services. Together with Westchester's Patriot Housing Initiative, a program that began only 3 years ago, almost 400 homeless Westchester veterans, like Sarge, now have permanent homes.

Along with their own homes, veterans also receive rehab services that actually end up costing the county less than if they were to live in a shelter.

While Sarge's story may have started like so many other veterans, he is now determined to make his own ending.