BRIDGING THE NEVADA-TO-D.C. GAP
A U.S. Army veteran is getting ready to move into her new apartment this month after a brush with homelessness led her to a senator’s office for help.
Las Vegas resident Trienda Ledo-lighten, who served a little more than a year in the Army in the ’80s, has been living in temporary housing for the last few months. She says she is now picking out furniture and going back to school to finish the last six classes she needs for her bachelor’s degree.
“I stay in the heart of the homeless area,” she said. “I didn’t realize how many people were hurting out here, older people and young people. It’s really eye-opening, so I feel humbled.”
Senators and representatives in Washington, D.C., have the ability to help constituents with a variety of issues, from requesting flags to navigating federal agencies. Ledo-lighten says that when her housing situation was dire, she didn’t go to a member of Congress — she went to her professor.
“I wonder how many veterans are out there and if they know how to get help for themselves or even if they want help,” she said.
She says the professor referred her to a contact connected to former Sen. Harry Reid, D-nev., who sent Ledo-lighten to the office of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-nev.
Representatives and senators can help constituents with:
Federal agencies (Department of Labor, IRS, Department of Education)
Medicare
Social Security Veterans Affairs Immigration Passports
Housing
Health care
Post office
Academy nominations
Grants assistance Visiting D.C.
Flag requests