Nov. 11—WESTBROOK — Brian Hester, 55, “loved every minute” of his two and a half years of service in the Marine Corps.
The departure was a different story.
“I had to hold down two jobs to get my family used to the lifestyle I had built for them in the service, so it was a challenge,” Hester said. “I tried my best and I succeeded… but it was tiring.”
The Memphis, Tennessee, native struggled with a cycle of substance use and homelessness. It’s a cycle that many, especially veterans, know all too well.
Hester, now 18 months sober, lives in an apartment complex in Westbrook, where he was placed in June by Preble Street Veterans Housing Services. He is committed to his own sobriety and helping others going through the same struggles.
“This time I decided something different had to be done,” Hester said.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Homelessness Assessment Report, approximately 35,500 veterans experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023.
Preble Street estimates there are currently about 130 homeless veterans in the state of Maine, up from more than 200 during the pandemic — a problem the organization hopes to end by June 2025.
Preble Street’s Veteran Housing Services announced Wednesday that the nonprofit has successfully housed 277 veterans and provided housing assistance to an additional 594 since October 2023. VHS partners with Pine Tree Legal Assistance and is funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We have had great success over the past few months and have housed approximately one veteran each day,” Laura Clark, director of Preble Street VHS, said in a prepared statement. “To achieve the goal of ‘functional zero’ for veteran homelessness, we essentially need to be able to house more veterans than are experiencing homelessness each month. I believe this is within reach.”
To achieve that goal, the organization provides case management, housing counseling and financial assistance, and helps veterans navigate homeowner relationships.
Veterans like Hester, who enlisted in the Marines at age 17, just out of high school.
“My cousin was in the Navy, my brother was in the Air Force, my dad was in the Army, so no one in my family was in the Marines, so I joined the Marines,” Hester said.
He entered boot camp in August 1987. He then completed infantry training at Camp Pendleton, California, and was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, a base in San Diego.
After leaving the military, he said he traveled around for years, eventually ending up in Maine, where his stepfather lived.
When his stepfather died, he had to rely on a combination of shelters, veterans housing and sober living facilities.
“But I kept getting into trouble, to be completely honest… and every time I ended up in jail because I got in trouble with the law, I ended up losing my place,” Hester said.
Today, Hester uses his experience to give hope to others.
In addition to his role as a recovery sponsor, he is attending Southern Maine Community College and working toward a degree in social work. He hopes to become a substance abuse counselor.
He lives comfortably in his studio apartment overlooking the Presumpscot River, he said, and looks forward to visits from his daughter and 8-year-old grandson.
“My ultimate goal is to help other people, to use my experience to help other people who are dealing with the same demons that I was dealing with,” Hester said.
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