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Army Spc. Matthew Onestar never shirks a challenge -- he looks for them. On Jan. 6, however, he faced the greatest challenge of his life: spending an entire night homeless, sleeping under a tree.

Onestar, 20, an American Indian from South Dakota, is a member of the Army Reserve 402 Quartermaster Battalion, New Castle. He said he came to Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Army Reserve after "wandering around seeing the country."

But Onestar finds himself trapped in a difficult situation.

While living in Hermitage, he found work doing odd jobs. In late fall he was laid off, but he was not qualified for workman's compensation. His Army Reserve pay is $200 a month.

Several weeks ago, Onestar had to give up his apartment because he couldn't pay the rent. He sought refuge at a rescue mission. However, the mission limits the number of days a homeless person can stay there. On Jan. 6, he had to leave the mission and ended up spending the night in a wooded area, alone, cold and hungry. The next morning, he went to a drop-in center to get warm and have a bite to eat.

After hearing his story, the center contacted Dan Slack, homeless veterans coordinator at the VA Medical Center in Butler.

"We discovered that Matthew was in a unique category," Slack said. "In order to qualify for any sort of veterans' benefits, you have to have 180 days of active duty. Matthew had only around 100. Therefore, we could not help him with any of the usual VA programs or resources. That's when I contacted the Mechling Shakley Veterans Center in Cowansville."

Mechling Shakley provides housing and other services to discharged veterans, primarily those suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. However, the center's policy allows for taking in a limited number of homeless non-veterans, depending on space available. Onestar was accepted at the center on that basis and with the assistance of the Armstrong County Community Action Agency. Kim Pivetta of Community Action said the agency is allowed to pay for up to one month housing for people in Onestar's situation.

"We have worked closely with the center in the past and continue to do so," Pivetta said. "It's a shame that Matthew is willing to serve his country, but he's just one of those people who fell through the cracks. He needs our help, and we are doing what we can."

Mechling Shakley director Hopeton Thompson said Onestar's reserve unit had drill Jan. 9 and 10, and the center provided transportation to and from New Castle. In the meantime, Onestar said, he is thankful for all the help Mechling Shakley, the Butler VA Medical Center, and Community Action has given him.

"This whole thing is unfortunate, but I guess things could be worse," Onestar said . "There was a man in New Castle who, like me, had no place to go, and he froze to death around the same time I spent the night under a tree. I enlisted in the Reserve two years ago, but I only have three and a half months of active duty time acquired. I plan to enlist in the regular Army, and I'd like to go to ranger school. Being a ranger is a challenge, and I like challenges. I like doing what everyone says I can't."

Although Onestar has family in South Dakota, he said he has had little contact with them and was reluctant to talk about the situation.

"Certainly Matthew's situation is unique," Slack said. "There weren't a lot of resources because of his qualifications. So Mechling Shakley was a good resource for us."

Slack said, however, that homeless veterans in the area are not a new or unique story.

"The Butler VA serves a seven-county area, and I personally see about 300 homeless veterans a year," Slack said. "Some of them live in camps, living in tents or crude makeshift shelters. All suffer from PTSD or other mental health issues. Almost all are alienated from their families, and many have drug or alcohol issues. Most homeless veterans are from the Vietnam era, but we're starting to see more OIF, OEF (Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom) veterans who have PTSD and are homeless. The VA is increasing its outreach to OIF and OEF veterans and is taking steps to hopefully end homelessness among veterans in the next five years. Of course Matthew is not in any of those categories. But we just couldn't ignore his plight."

Thompson said that Mechling Shakley is preparing for an expected influx of younger veterans. The center plans to add several modular housing units and is working with Nextier Bank in Chicora to secure funding.

"Right now, we're full to capacity," Thompson said. "We're quite thankful that we could help Matthew Onestar. I'm sure that once he is able to go active duty, we probably won't see him again. So new we must turn our attention to other homeless veterans who need our help."

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