by William Skink
If you follow the comments on this blog, you may have noticed some interesting comments being made on an old post about Glacier Hope Homes, an alleged recovery program of sorts for veterans that is no longer in operation…or is it? We’ll get to that part in a bit.
First, the story of my involvement with exposing Glacier Hope Homes goes back five years, all the way to my time writing for 4&20 Blackbirds. In June of 2015 I wrote a post, titled A New Shelter for Vets or an Expensive Scam?
This post was a reaction to a local news story at NBC Montana that made it sound like the homeless veterans would be responsible for paying their own rent. After my coverage, NBC Montana amended their reporting. The first iteration of the story clearly stated that Glacier Hope Homes “will cost residents 1,500 per month.” That was later changed to this:
Officials are paying for the project via private investors, a federal grant and funds from Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans Administration benefits to cover the $1,500 monthly cost of operation per resident.
Sensing something fishy was going on, I continued covering this story after starting RD. Here are the posts: Glacier Hope Homes Strikes Back?, Update On Glacier Hope Homes, More Stink Coming From Glacier Hope Homes, and this one: More Questions Than Answers In Missoula Indy’s Look At Glacier Hope Homes.
This represents three years of coverage by little old me, a blogger and citizen journalist who didn’t like the idea of Veterans with addiction and mental health issues being exploited by a scam artist.
If you read through those posts, you’ll find interesting little tidbits, like how our current Republican Senator, Steve Daines, made an appearance at Glacier Hope Homes in 2015. You’ll also discover that the Missoula Independent article is no longer available online, thanks to POS Matt Gibson and Lee Enterprises.
When the Indy was shuttered in September, 2018, its coverage of Glacier Hope Homes was one of the first things I thought about. In a post titled No New Indy Tomorrow…What Have We Lost? I had this to say:
After yesterday’s move by Lee and POS Matt Gibson, geared it seems to maximize the gut-punch factor, what we have lost as a community is just starting to be felt. For example, the Indy archive is no longer accessible. Apparently eliminating competition wasn’t enough for Lee. No, these corporate fuckers are erasing the Indy’s entire legacy.
When Tim Lloyd died of exposure last November, Brouwer (alerted by a tweet I put out) wrote a moving article about it. I wrote about it here, which you can still read, but the link to Brouwer’s piece now redirects to the Missoulian website.
Same obviously for the feature piece on Glacier Hope Homes put out in February of this year. I wrote multiple posts trying to bring attention to claims of abuse and mismanagement impacting homeless Veterans, and implored local media to take on what I couldn’t.
Now that piece is gone as well, so when this scammer starts up his scam in another community (Susan Shepherd, the author of the feature piece, reported he was moving to Texas), there won’t be a record of what was reported by the Indy regarding what was going on at Glacier Hope Homes.
I am emphasizing my own writing because it now appears quite prescient in light of recent comments being made on the Glacier Hope Homes Strikes Back? post. Before getting to those comments, I will add that old issues of the Indy do appear a little more accessible now, so this link should give you an idea of the Indy’s coverage three years ago (for an easier to read version, former Indy journalist Susan Shepard provided this pdf version of her story)
The first comment was made by “Zack Lindsay” on the night of October 22nd:
The second comment gives us a clue about why the first comment was made:
So, the benevolent Jason Stevens, who just wants to help veterans in need, appears to be up to the same shit he was in Montana, but now in Texas. And, like in Montana, it appears Jason Stevens has found other shady people to “help” him “help” others.
Someone by the name of “Lendell Braud” responded to the comment left by Zack Lindsay. This person claims to be a doctor and, from the comment, appears to have worked with Zach in a “professional” capacity. I put “professional” in quotes because I don’t know of any doctor willing to risk a HIPAA violation by exposing they are working with a patient in a professional capacity on a public forum. Here is the comment from “Dr. Lendell”:
Now that I’m curious again about these shady operators, I decided to see what I could find online. Here in Montana, Glacier Hope Homes is STILL LISTED (pdf) as a resource for housing in the Flathead:
I tried the link above, but it goes to a “coming soon” wordpress placeholder page. This “business site” for Glacier Hope Homes says they are a non-profit as of August, 2019 and apparently operating in Columbia Falls:
Even more concerning, Montana’s DPHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) STILL LISTS Glacier Hope Homes as a treatment provider:
I am kind of astounded that Glacier Hope Homes continues to have a presence in Montana on official government websites, and that unprofessional idiots associated with this organization continue making ill-advised comments on my blog posts.
This is a great and timely example of what happens when our corporate media cuts and slashes newsrooms like an 80’s horror flick, shady operators like Jason Stevens get to keep chasing money in potentially fraudulant “help” schemes.
JC
I can tell you that both Jason Stevens & Dr. Braud did indeed return to Texas. GHH hasn’t been a veterans home for a few years now. It was just a treatment facility. It is now a different business in CF and ran by someone else. And your comments are spot on about things that went on when they were running GHH such as not paying their employees.
seems like he’s doing it in Galax Virginia. tried to get us as investors and we we almost to the closing table, when I figured him out
Jason Stevens is up to more of the same from Montana. Now he is currently operating a drug rehab program on Cliffview road in Galax Virginia. Working the “staff” of ex addicts and not paying them.
no response from Travis or anyone with the new information I provided Travis and his blog with last month and numerous times since. Jason Stevens is fleecing the drug and alcohol recovery system in Galax, Bedford, Bassett and Hillsville Virginia. I’m surprised Travis does not care to reply or include this massive disgrace that Jason is still perpatrating on needy people and the state system.
I’m not at all surprised since it fled Montana and didn’t pay his employees for their work not to mention he fleeced Montana Medicaid and the FBI had been here looking for him at one point. Not too hard to find him if they looked in Virginia.
Thank you Denise for responding. It is a shame that Jason was able to set up shop in Virginia and pass all the licensing requirements with his history.
This is the only response and I just received it from Travis:
“Brian, are you fucking stupid? I am not interested in speaking with you, and have responded to SEVERAL of your comments explaining why.”
Shocking you would call me “fucking stupid”. Very professional.
I do not see ANY responses from you, ANYWHERE on your blog, to me personally or to my email, until this morning Why don’t you tell your readers WHY you have no interest in finding out more about Jason Stevens and the operation that allows him to continue cheating distraught people and the system. Obviously you have no interest in doing what your blog originally intended to uncover an report on things you brought to light.
We are attempting to help the very people Jason Stevens has cheated but I guess you plan to allow him to operate with no interest in bringing the truth to light. The only “fucking stupid” thing I see is a blogger that decides he would rather let this unjust person continue to operate in another state and you turn a blind eye. Nice investigative reporting.
Brian! We have so many questions. We would like to speak with you. How can we contact you. Time is if the essence. Thank you!
Bobby, I just cc’d you on a an email to Brian, so hopefully he can help you because my hands are full.
I appreciate the quick response. Thank you!
Hi Bobby, I left a detailed comment down below, please feel free to reach out!
You guys are only scratching the surface on this ghh mess.
It’s a golden age for grifters, James. The real question is why.
I have personal, first hand account of some of what Jason Stevens was doing at GHH as I volunteered out there doing some landscaping, meal prep and firewood cutting and stacking. I was also witness to the day Jason evicted one of the veteran’s from a cash private pay unit halfway through the month the veteran had paid for because the veteran was staying at his girlfriend’s residence with her on the weekends. He did this with NO notice, and the vet only knew because another veteran called to tell him Jason was having his own son Brett and some other guys remove all the vet’s belongings from the unit into a storage garage. It was no surprise that a five gallon change jar that was 1/4 full was discovered empty when I went to help him retrieve his property. I am MORE than willing to putting in some time to see if we can shut this shady shitbag down. Please reach out!
Travis, thank you for pointing all this out, I also am curious as to why a ‘Dr.’ would violate federal privacy law as you pointed out but you confirmed it wasn’t even a ‘Dr.’ due to the face they don’t understand the use of correct English grammar or proper word use. I would like to cite this ‘Dr’s’ inability to understand the basic difference between the word ‘here’ and ‘hear’ ….. and I am diagnosed with learning disabilities, reading comprehension and dyslexia, just to name a few. I have been watching this corruption and witnessing first hand addicts be taken advantage of and the exploitatively manipulative use of the terrible situation they are trying to excape, used against them as a way to extract the absolute maximum out of them, (medicaid dollars, they care mostly about billing these Medicaid bundles they actually dont provide nor have they ever) all under the guise of compassion. They claim they are for profit but their webpages show the tax exemption of the 501 c3….. but hey… whos looking right… and who really cares…. I have pictures, details, texts, of all of this from over the last 14 months…… and the shittiest part of all of this is that I have been attacked and threatened for trying to expose this… so… ill just beat ya to it…. Hope someone wants to delve deeper into the horrors of the corruption in the world of addiction and homelesness…. fuck chemically addicted, or substance use disorder, its the disease of addiction… look up the history of the word its correct, how its addressed is the problem not the word. as well as homelessness, the virtue signaling attempt to soften a horrible situation to make it easier to sell is another disgusting use of the community in the pursuit of profit, power, attention, or control.
Thank you for the comment, there is so much that needs exposure, but Jason Stevens seems to be especially skilled at avoiding accountability. People don’t understand until they have direct experience, and then, too often, those experiences aren’t taken seriously. I’ll keep doing what I can, but my abilities are limited.
your work has gotten my attention and the algorithm is putting shit like this on the top of searches in recovery and stuff.