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‘Home Sweet Hell’: A Gulf War Vet Is Living In A Storage Unit

Image: ABC 7 Denver/ Screengrab

Jason Chulack Reporting Intern
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For nearly two years a disabled Navy veteran and his dog have been living in a small storage unit in Denver, and he fears that he could soon become homeless, ABC 7 Denver reported Sunday.

Chris Cline served his country in the Gulf War and has been working full-time as an overnight security guard for several years, making $11.50 an hour. He used to rent out a basement in Denver, but due to the city’s high cost of living, the rental market eventually pushed him out and he filed for bankruptcy.

“I don’t want a handout,” he told KMGH.

All Cline can afford is to live in a climate-controlled storage unit for $160 a month, which he calls “home sweet hell.” The unit gets very cold during the winter but it’s better than being outside, he says. He sometimes sleeps in his car when the weather permits.

Cline fears that one day he could get kicked out of the storage unit and only have his car to sleep in and store all of his personal belongings. He told KMGH he would like some help with housing but the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has not yet provided assistance.

“Homelessness among Veterans is an important issue. Although we have made some progress, reducing the number of homeless Veterans nationwide from more than 200,000 in the year 2000 to fewer than 40,000 in last year’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, it remains a serious problem,” the VA told The Daily Caller.

TheDC reached out to Cline but he did not respond by publication time.