Help us cross the finish line and open The Felicia Reeves Home for women Veterans facing homelessness.

It is estimated that over 887 women Veterans in western NC are either homeless or at risk of homelessness; only 20 beds are currently available for these female Veterans. 

Aura Home Women Vets has been renovating a former assisted living center in Hendersonville, NC, to house up to 12 women Veterans, including their dependents and pets, for the past several years. Through the help of community volunteers, donations, and grant funding, much has been done and we are approaching a monumental point in time to completing phase one, which will allow the home to open for four women.

YOUR DONATION WILL HELP PUSH US TO THE FINISH LINE TO OPEN THE HOME!

About Aura Home Women Vets

Aura Home Women Vets (AHWV) is a volunteer-run grass-roots organization in western North Carolina that was founded by a US Army Veteran to help her fellow female Veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness. AHWV is the only Veteran-led organization in western NC that helps women with homeless prevention and has housing first, low-barrier admissions. AHWV has been a 501(c)3 since 2014 but in existence since 2010 and has assisted over 500 women Veterans and their family members.

No other organization in our service area is dedicated to serving women Veterans only (including their dependents and/or pets) and addressing the unique challenges faced by women Veterans. 

Aura Home Women serves any female United States Veteran facing or at risk of homelessness, regardless of branch or time served, or honorable or dishonorable discharge. Many women Veterans come to AHWV when they are facing homelessness or are having trouble accessing benefits and on the verge of homelessness. Our goal is first prevention and second stabilization through offering a safe haven for women to live as they regain self-sufficiency. 

Services Provided: Working independently with each woman Veteran, programs provided by Aura Home are designed to help women facing or in fear of homelessness become self-sufficient. Programs include:

• Temporary Housing- Felicia Reeves Home projected to open 2025
• Housing and Employment Search- through employment agencies and web searches
• Temporary Financial Assistance- mortgage/rent, utilities, deposits
• Personal Case Management and Mentorship
• VA Benefit Navigation and Community Resource Access
• VA Chaperone- Medical, Claims and Appeals
• Transportation- car payment, car repair, car insurance, and bus pass
• Peace Education Program- Personal Discovery Program
• Education on community resources, budgeting, self-sufficiency

How Aura Home Women Vets Began

Founder Alyce Knaflich does not look like a dynamo women Veterans’ rights organizer, but this calmly speaking determined woman has challenged the United States Veterans Administration’s policy on focusing on male Veteran’s needs at the expense of women Veterans head on. An Army Veteran herself, Alyce has experienced firsthand the widespread experiences shared by women Veterans leaving the services with minimal counseling and support the minute they are discharged. She has survived Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and homelessness, turning these experiences into a drive to help other women veterans navigate the maze preventing them from receiving full benefits due to them.

In founding Aura Home Women Vets, Alyce was told at every turn “You can’t do this” which only inspired her to try harder. Now Aura Home Women Vets is a growing non-profit, helping women Veterans from all branch of services with housing, counseling, and financial guidance across Western North Carolina. 

Learn more about Alyce here: Coming Home: Peace Education for Veterans - YouTube

*Felicia Reeves was a 40 year old female disabled U.S. Army Veteran that suddenly disappeared from Hendersonville, NC in 2015 under unexplained circumstances and was found dead a week later in a motel room in Elizabethton, New Jersey under stranger circumstances (see Frank Taylor's detailed reportings on her disappearance in the Carolina Public Press). Felicia Reeves' life has become a guiding light in a way for Aura Home Women Vets and founder Alyce Knaflich, inspiring her to keep pushing forwards in offering assistance to Veteran women, especially when there is no family or friends to turn to.

The mission of Aura Home Women Vets is to reach out to women Veterans seeking assistance with housing and provide a resource for homeless prevention. Our vision is that Aura Home empowers women Veterans to be vibrant and self-sufficient to thrive in their community.

Aura Home Women Vets is a Charity participating in the NASCAR Day Giveathon 2023 a Giving Day event, presented by The NASCAR Foundation.