Tevlin: After two years of homelessness, a veteran finds a home

For more than two years, Austin Poons bounced between hospitals and homeless shelters as he tried to stabilize his life after getting laid off from a steady job during the financial crash. Last July 4th weekend, Poons suffered from a depressive episode and wound up in the St. Cloud VA Health Care System's mental health ward. What bothered him more than anything was that at times he was separated from his golden retriever therapy dog, "Dutchess," his almost constant companion and best friend.

"I almost lost her twice," Poons said as his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I get very emotional when I talk about Dutchess."

One day this week, the dog lay in a spot of sun a few inches from Poons' feet in their new home, reunited for good.

Just two weeks ago, Poons and Dutchess moved into the Upper Post Veterans Community, renovated rooms in the former horse stables at Fort Snelling. They are among the first residents of the project, which will ultimately house veterans inside historic buildings that had fallen into ruin. The project was launched by CommonBond Communities, a nonprofit developer of low-income housing, and supported by funds from numerous foundations, corporations and government entities. It will have 58 housing units of various sizes.

"Dutchess and I have been displaced for more than two years," said Poons, his voice quaking with emotion. "I'm just so happy now."

Poons, a veteran who helped oversee nuclear weapons in Germany during the time of the war in Vietnam, once had a good job and a house in Minnetonka. Mental and other health issues took a toll on his career, but he usually managed to keep a job, at least until health problems forced him to take a leave from his job as facilities manager for Mound Westonka High School.

Shortly thereafter, Poons was laid off as the economy took a dive. He couldn't find work for two years, and finally had to give up his rented home. He put his belongings, including a vintage stereo system with 1980 JBL speakers and a small collection of vintage rock 'n' roll records into storage.

"She's everything to me," Poons said.

Poons pointed to the red mark above Dutchess' left eye, where she was kicked by an abusive owner before he found her at the Animal Humane Society.

"You rescued her," I said.

"We rescued each other," said Poons.

Poons moved around, sometimes staying at shelters such as the Union Gospel Mission and House of Charity.

It was during his stay at House of Charity that he met Sara Riegle, who was just taking a job at CommonBond. She knew of the group's plans to build a home for veterans and kept him in mind. Now he's in his first stable home in years, with a fixed but certain disability income and rent that will never eat up more than 30 percent of his income. He feels secure, and very fortunate.

To pay back all those who helped him, Poons takes Dutchess to VA hospitals to work with counselors who treat depressed and suicidal veterans. And every week, they go the health center at the University of Minnesota, where students learn stress-reduction techniques. On a recent visit, they noticed one young woman who seemed to be struggling.

"Dutchess went right to her and sat by her for 20 minutes," said Poons. "She's been trained to pick up on people who need attention. She's become famous around town."

Of their volunteer work, "I think it's karma," said Poons. "If you help someone out, you get it back."

This week, Poons still had boxes to unpack and he needed some art for the walls, but the place was tastefully furnished and had new appliances.

"That's my front yard," said Poons, smiling. "I don't do well in crowds, and it's so quiet here at night."

The stereo and giant speakers have been reclaimed from storage.

Poons pawed through his record collection: The Allman Brothers. Eric Clapton. The Beatles. Bruce Springsteen.

Poons picked out an album by J.J. Cale, and when the song "Call Me the Breeze" came on, he cranked it up.

jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702