A formerly homeless veteran from Las Vegas will sit in first lady Michelle Obama’s visitor box during the State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Cynthia Dias served during the Vietnam War. She attributes her years of homelessness to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dias says she was able to move last year from a homeless shelter into a former motel in downtown Las Vegas that has been renovated to provide 122 units of housing for veterans. While staying in Veterans Village, residents like Dias get access to health care and counseling.
The Obama administration is highlighting a challenge that the first lady has issued for local leaders to do more to reduce veteran homelessness.
