Turkey Drive: Good Samaritan Shelter helps local homeless veteran through stroke recovery

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - After suffering two strokes, a local Army veteran is now rebuilding his life, overcoming major obstacles and finding a fresh start with help from Good Samaritan Shelter.

Last year, Army veteran Ryan Twidwell faced the biggest challenge of his life following a pair of life-altering strokes.

"The two strokes is why I spent two years in the hospital," said Twidwell. "It was really hard. It was really, really hard."

During the second stroke, he fell from a three-story building, an accident that left him with significant physical and cognitive challenges that affected nearly every aspect of his daily life.

"When I got the stroke, I couldn't talk. I couldn't read. I couldn't do anything really," Twidwell said. "I was scared. I couldn't remember for a long time."

As he recovered, Twidwell, who spent nearly a year in Afghanistan while serving with Army in 2003, faced another difficult challenge.

While in the hospital as he was working to regain his mobility, speech and independence, the extended hospitalization time caused him to lose his housing and he became homeless.

Once doctors determined he was ready to transition out of the hospital and into a more independent living environment, his case was referred to Good Samaritan Shelter.

"Ryan came across our referral desk while he was recovering," said Tawny Lino, Good Samaritan Shelter's Veteran Services Director. "He had worked with our partner providers in San Luis Obispo County prior to us. We thought some fresh eyes would be easier on his case, so we took him in and brought him into our GPD program, which is the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program. We have two beautiful five bedroom, five bathroom homes which we run this program from, and we were incredibly grateful that we were able to support Ryan on his journey and his recovery from his strokes."

For Twidwell, his support included residency at the program's "Honor House" in Santa Maria, as well as connections to VA (Veterans Affairs) services, speech therapy, assistance with daily needs and help navigating the process of finding permanent housing.

"We do our best to wrap around them, get them connected to the VA if they're not already connected, get them connected to outpatient treatment and inpatient treatment if that's what they need," said Lino. "We kind of gauge and assess every veteran that comes in. We tailor their progress to their individual needs. We help them with claims. We connect them to a food bank if that's what they need. We really just wrap around and offer whatever services they may need."

With the help of Good Samaritan Shelter's housing navigator, Twidwell was eventually connected with the VA Supportive Housing program, commonly known as VASH, which provides rental assistance similar to Section 8 housing, specifically for veterans.

That assistance helped him secure an apartment in Grover Beach, where he is now building a new chapter of his life.

For Twidwell, the progress has been significant, although the effects of his strokes continue to present challenges.

"I'm Happy. Really happy," he said. "It is definitely hard for me from the stroke, but I am happy."

Lino added that watching Twidwell's transformation over the past two year has been especially rewarding for everyone with Good Samaritan.

"We're extremely proud of Ryan," said Lino. "He has come a very long way from when he first came to us to seeing him today and how much he's progressed has been actually really a miracle."

Lino said Good Samaritan Shelter wants veterans to know they are not alone and that there are people in the community willing to help them get back on their feet.

For Twidwell, he wants the community to know their support and guidance has made a lasting difference.

"They are great," said Twidwell. "I love them. They helped me. They helped for everything. They're the best and I love them. Thank God that they helped me."

Good Samaritan Shelter is one of two local non-profit organizations that are once again teaming up with News Channel 12 for its annual Turkey Drive.

The fundraiser is now going on through Thursday, Nov. 19 and is collecting donations for SLO Food Bank and Good Samaritan Shelter.

Donations collected in San Luis Obispo County will directly assist SLO Food Bank Clients, while those collected in Santa Barbara County will directly benefit Good Samaritan clients, as well as other local non-profit organizations.

For donations to Good Samaritan, it will directly benefit clients such as Twidwell.

For more information about the News Channel 12 Turkey Drive, or to donate, click here.