Egan: When the army calls for help — vets drop-in centre first in Canada

Robert Praet had served his country in uniform, and damn near ruined his back while he was at it.
Now he was 74, newly arrived in Ottawa during a cold December, sleeping at the Salvation Army, getting the brushoff from welfare and Veterans Affairs Canada, and running out of money.
“That was probably the lowest point,” he says. “The only thing you can compare it to is when you go into basic training and you sleep in bunk beds. But you sleep with one eye open at the Salvation Arm