Duke Davis is a 60-year-old Gulf War veteran who witnessed the death of a family member, as well as crimes against humanity while serving his country. He suffers from multiple forms of PTSD, which along with substance abuse, has led to the breakdown of the family unit and other key relationships resulting in homelessness, food scarcity, and additional mental health issues. He has struggled throughout his life with formative relationships, bonding/supporting others, and money management/fiscal choices. He has a long history of anger management issues within the workplace, difficulty engaging and/or maintaining family ties, and his substance abuse has caused additional distance from his family members. He tends to choose being alone vs addressing issues in personal relationships, as well as, his community. Duke left his wife, Lyla, and their children over 20 years ago after the VA provided an official diagnosis of PTSD and granted him full disability. In his second relationship, Duke and his partner, Janelle, parted ways after she became very ill and Duke was unable to commit to assisting her while she was sick. Mr. Davis’ main form of companionship over the years has been animal rescues. 

MAIN/CURRENT EVENT: Duke is currently homeless residing in his car with occasional showers at the local truck stop. He has at times utilized a hotel after receiving his VA check, but not on a consistent basis and only for a few nights. In addition, he faces food scarcity issues due to lack of resources to prepare meals and limited community local pantries. He currently has a canine companion, Champ, which hinders his access to housing. This, coupled with his substance use, prevents him from being placed even in temporary shelters exacerbating other issues. Main issues presenting: substance abuse - alcohol and marijuana, homelessness, PTSD - night terrors, flashbacks, issues sleeping, pet ownership discrimination, and food scarcity/malnourishment.

PRECIPITATING EVENTS: Duke Davis is a war vet who witnessed the death of a family member, as well as, crimes against humanity during the conflict. He suffers from multiple forms of PTSD, which along with substance abuse, has led to the breakdown of the family unit and other key relationships resulting in homelessness and additional mental health issues. Duke’s main form of companionship over the years has been animal rescues. He has struggled throughout his life with formative relationships, bonding/supporting others, and money management/fiscal choices. He tends to choose being alone vs addressing issues in personal relationships, as well as, his community. He currently lives in his car, receives VA checks, and utilizes soup kitchen/food pantries when available. 

Scenario A: After several hours of attempting to detox on his own, Duke reaches out to the VA stating that he is hallucinating and cannot stand on his own. Emergency services were called and Duke was placed voluntarily in the behavioral health unit at his local hospital. 

Scenario B: Duke spent most of his day collecting cans and bottles to return to the local recycling center. While at the center he tied his dog, Champ, to a post outside of the center. During that time, it was reported that Champ growled at a group of boys and seemed aggressive. The owner of the recycling center called Animal Control. When they arrived they asked for Champ’s license, shot record, and proof of ownership, which Duke did not have. When they attempted to take Champ - Duke became very angry and tried to take Champ. Police were then called. Duke was not arrested, but he was taken to the local hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Scenario C: Duke received his monthly VA check. He rented a local room for himself and his dog, Champ. Duke spent most of the day drinking. He left briefly to get more alcohol. When he returned another patron knocked on his door stating that the dog had been barking while Duke was gone and the patron was reporting the issue to the hotel manager. The patron and Duke began arguing, which escalated into a physical altercation inside Duke’s room. The police were called. Duke was verbally and physically aggressive toward the responding police officer resulting in Duke being taken into custody and arrested. Upon sentencing, he was required to be evaluated and return to court. The behavioral health unit facility recommended a minimum of a 28 day stay, which the judge mandated. If not completed - Duke could face a fine and jail time.

Duke Davis is a white male with a history of trauma from serving in the United States military before and during the Gulf War (also known as - Desert Storm). His family served in WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam. He identifies as heterosexual. Based on VA reports he identifies as agnostic. Duke has had two romantic relationships with one resulting in biological children. Both relationships were impacted by his mental health and substance abuse. 

Duke is a 60 year old veteran. During Desert Storm, he served on the front lines transporting combat medics to injured troops. Duke enlisted in the Navy with his cousin, hoping they could avoid high-risk operations like those his father experienced as an Army veteran. This turned out not to be the case, and Duke witnessed the death of his cousin and many others he served with, along with countless gruesome deaths and injuries of children and other civilians. 

Upon returning to the United States following his tour, Duke had vivid nightmares of the things that he had seen in the Gulf War. He yelled out in his sleep, woke up drenched in sweat, and would sometimes start kicking and punching in his sleep. As a result, Duke started sleeping in another bedroom. His girlfriend, Lyla, was supportive, but Duke’s refusal to talk about his experience during the time he served made it difficult.

Two years after his return, Duke and Lyla got married, and eventually had three children. His wife worked as a secretary. Duke worked in construction. His work was high quality, but he wasn’t reliable. He got into fights with supervisors and other workers. Once Duke was on a ladder when a pallet of roofing material fell to the ground and made a loud noise. He dove off the ladder, crouched down and covered his head. Some of the men on the worksite laughed, and Duke walked off the job and never returned. 

After that, Lyla was left to support the family financially. Even with food stamps and free school lunches, they couldn’t make ends meet. Duke’s drinking and smoking was a considerable cost; sometimes he used the rent money for beer and marijuana, and the family had their electricity turned off and were evicted on multiple occasions. 

Duke left his family after the VA diagnosed him with PTSD. His disability was not enough for him to afford an apartment, so he mainly slept in his car. He did not have regular contact with family members. He rarely spoke to his children.

After a few years on his own, he met Janellen who would become his significant other. While together due to Janellen’s insistence he did attend AA briefly, but did not quit marijuana due to difficulty sleeping. They were together until Janellen became seriously ill and had significant health problems. Duke was not reliable and refused to take her to her medical appointments. Janellen left Duke and moved in with her children. Without Janellen to assist in paying for housing, Duke was once again homeless.

In summary, Duke is a white male combat veteran who suffers from PTSD, homelessness, food scarcity, substance abuse - alcohol and marijuana, as well as, additional mental health issues. He has a long history of anger management issues within the workplace, difficulty engaging and/or maintaining family ties, and his substance abuse has caused additional distance from his family members. Duke left his first family almost 20 years ago after the VA granted him full disability due to his mental health issues.