{"id":336875,"date":"2026-07-11T11:48:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T11:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336875\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T11:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T11:48:07","slug":"a-new-set-of-keys-gives-formerly-homeless-veteran-a-new-road-forward-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/336875\/","title":{"rendered":"A new set of keys gives formerly homeless veteran a new road forward | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) \u2014 A formerly homeless veteran now has a new way forward after businesses and veterans organizations across Charlotte County<\/a> came together to give him a car.<\/p>\n

Emmet Evans received the vehicle through a community effort involving Walt’s Garage, Nate’s Keys, Fine Line Auto Body, Burger Bar, Napa Auto Parts, the Military Heritage Museum, Disabled American Veterans, Red White + Blue of Charlotte County, Helping Hearts for Heroes, and the Charlotte County Veterans Council.<\/p>\n

For Evans, the car represents more than transportation.<\/p>\n

“This could help me in a lot of ways with housing, clothes, and food,” Evans said.<\/p>\n

Walt Fortney, owner of Walt’s Garage<\/a> and a veteran himself, said reliable transportation can make all the difference for someone trying to rebuild their life.<\/p>\n

\"CAR<\/p>\n

“Especially in a town like this, there’s no public transportation,” Fortney said. “You need a way to get around. You get to work, get a job, and visit your family. It’s your freedom. It’s incredibly important.”<\/p>\n

Fortney said he understands firsthand how difficult the transition from military service to civilian life can be.<\/p>\n

“They don’t give you a handbook and say, ‘Hey, when you get out, this is what’s going to happen. These are the benefits available to you,” Fortney said. “You get lost real quick.”<\/p>\n

The groups involved in the effort work to help veterans get back on their feet, including connecting them with housing, jobs, and other resources.<\/p>\n

\"CAR<\/p>\n

Evans said that support has already made a difference.<\/p>\n

“They’ve been taking me in the right direction, so I’m happy,” he said.<\/p>\n

For Fortney, using his experience in the automotive business to help a fellow veteran was a natural fit.<\/p>\n

“I know what it’s like to be a veteran, to transition back into the civilian world,” Fortney said. “And now this is\u2014I mean, we’re in the car business. This is what we can do.”<\/p>\n

As Fortney handed Evans the keys, he told him, “I’ve been down your road, man. I know what it’s like. I hope this helps.”<\/p>\n

Fortney said the effort has also given him a way to give back to a cause he believes in.<\/p>\n

“I found an organization that I truly believe is doing good,” he said. “It fills my heart to be able to help and give back.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) \u2014 A formerly homeless veteran now has a new way forward after businesses and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210,4250,3837,115],"class_list":["post-336875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-charlotte","tag-collaborator_gen_stories","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}