WINCHESTER, Ky. — One of the largest shelters for women veterans in the U.S.—according to its founder—can be found right here in Kentucky.
Lady Veterans Connect has turned an elementary school in Winchester into housing for all women who have served the country.
Shirley Hampton served in the U.S. Air Force starting in 1978 as a flight mechanic in the Philippines.
“It was all about love and, you know, the jet itself and finding out how everything worked, you know,” said Hampton.
She said she was the only woman out of thousands of men on the flight line, which she said presented challenges.
“It was a constant, you know, you can’t do this, you can’t do that and I would look at him and go, well, you know, the last time I looked, the pass to get on this flight line also had my name and picture on it,” she said.
Even with all the push back, she said her colonel gave her a master mechanic certificate and an incentive flight on a F-4 fighter jet.
“So, they were giving me strife about, you know well, ‘how did you get a flight?’ I said if you were that great, you could be Mach five instead of grounded. I said, now come strap me in and let’s go,” she said.
Years after her service, she was living in the woods with her dog in Tennessee. She ended up at a Tennessee shelter who suggested she come to Lady Veterans Connect in Winchester, Kentucky, and she said it’s been great.
“The services they help you with, transportation, they help you get in touch with the people that you need to be in touch with. They give you a firm mattress to sleep on, food to eat and outstanding listening abilities on all of their part,” Hampton said.
Lady Veterans Connect’s facility can hold 32 women, but its biggest problem right now is reaching the female veterans who need a place to stay or rest.
“They are the most unrecognized segment of the military and one of the things that causes some of that is women veterans don’t tend to identify as veterans and some don’t realize they are,” said Phyllis Abbott, founder and executive director of Lady Veterans Connect.
Whether it be a need of housing, clothing or furniture, Lady Veterans Connect said it can help.
“Any little thread of hope is like dropping the whole ladder. So, it’s been a great experience. The people here love each and every one of them. I mean, they’re great,” said Hampton.
Applications to stay in their transitional housing can be found on their website.
The charity said it has helped about 500 people since it opened.