Nonprofit Calm Waters envisions building retreat center, village for veterans

By Jill Callison, for Pigeon605

A friend of Krystal Lohff’s who had served in the Navy once described to her what it was like to sail storm-tossed seas and the uneasiness that would grip him during the rough passages. Once he heard the words “calm waters ahead” announced over the intercom, however, he would feel peaceful and relaxed, knowing the danger was over.

That story and the deep emotions behind it led Lohff to borrow the words Calm Waters for her nonprofit venture designed to help military veterans obtain the help they need after leaving the service. Its goal is to reduce homelessness and the despair that can lead to suicide.

Lohff and her nine-member board have developed a strategic plan to cover multiple programs, with the initial focus on establishing a veterans’ village and retreat center and offering case management for those in need of assistance with housing, employment and daily life. That would be offered through a resource center named House of Hope.

“We’re a community-first program,” said Lohff, a private-practice therapist. “That means we are surrounding them with what they need in order to be truly successful, not just sending them to the different ones (nonprofits) here in Sioux Falls.”

Earlier this year, a team of city officials announced plans to establish a community of tiny homes for veterans and their families in northwest Sioux Falls. Calm Waters differs from that proposal in that it will focus not only on homeless veterans but alsothose who need help transitioning back to civilian life, Lohff said.

“Most of the programs around here are housing-rirst programs where a client would be houseless, where they don’t have a place to live,” she said. “Houseless individuals are truly homeless when they don’t have family or are isolated from everyone else. It’s the memories that create a home, and some of these people don’t have that.”

Calm Waters would offer group and individual therapy and couple’s retreats on weekends.

Kristi Hay-Merfeld serves as president of Calm Waters’ board of directors. She is the granddaughter of a French citizen who helped the American soldiers who came to her country while fighting in World War II. Her grandmother instilled in her the knowledge of how hard the soldiers fought for others and how important it is to give back.

Calm Waters’ goal of giving homeless veterans a place to call their own will meet a community need, Hay-Merfeld said. Right now, the board is focusing on getting the organization’s name out to the public.

“The beginning stages are so important and so much fun,” she said. “In the beginning, you build your reputation and your brand. We want to get our name out there, who we are and why we believe in what we’re doing.”

Lohff describes case management as being akin to life coaching. Case managers help the clients meet whatever goal they have, whether it’s daily tasks or long term.

The “tiny home village,” which would be located on 10 to 15 acres of land near Sioux Falls, would be open to all veterans, regardless of how much time they served. Calm Waters hopes to start with 15 dwellings and add a building to house a chow hall, case management offices and laundry facilities.

A portion of the chow hall would be closed off so the residents would have 24/7 access to community activities such as pingpong, board games and television. Veterans, particularly in the Native American population, who like to create art through painting would have an outlet for that and a place to sell their pieces. Lohff also plans to have a workshop in the building.

“So many veterans were mechanics or did things with electronics, and we want to give them the opportunity for woodworking, crafts, painting, baking, cooking or whatever they like,” she said. “If we give them that, that will help decrease bored feelings that can bring back layers of trauma. We want it to be calming and relaxing for them.”

Lohff never served in the military, but she married an Army Ranger who also served in the National Guard. She said she has watched him “jump through hoops” to get in the Veterans Affairs system, making appointments and obtaining services, and doesn’t want that to happen to any other veteran. Lohff worked for the VA for several years, and she praises the work the staff does there but notes they are sometimes hampered by all the regulations they must follow.

During her therapy with veterans living in South Dakota, Lohff often heard them say “Put me in a cabin, and I’ll be happy.” While Calm Waters will emphasize the therapeutic benefits of nature, it also will provide the wraparound community services that will help with the transition.

Earlier this summer, Lohff ran into a veteran in the Costco parking lot, identified by the cap he was wearing. She told him of her plans for Calm Waters, and he put his head down and started to cry. He had lung cancer, he told her, and just needed a place to relax.

“Being in nature boosts a person’s mood and helps them cope with things,” Lohff said. “We’ll create that at the veterans’ village and retreat center. Even if you never live out there, you can come out and hang out and relax, play games with the other guys and gals out there.”

Calm Waters was established in 2020. While Lohff has been advised that it will take five years to get the village and retreat started, her personal goal is to have it operational in two years’ time. Until then, particularly with the United States’ departure from Afghanistan churning up memories for some veterans, she has started a Saturday morning support group for them.

“It brings up a lot of those trauma layers from when they were overseas — guilt and moral injury and ‘Gosh, did I do all that for nothing? Did we lose all these services member, my buddy, in a war for nothing?’ Those are the thoughts they’re having right now,” Lohff said.

Suicide hotlines for veterans in times of crisis have seen a significant uptick in demand in recent weeks, reports indicate.

What Calm Waters needs now is money for its building projects and to start the case management program. People who want to volunteer time can help in multiple ways such as hanging fliers, talking about Calm Waters with employers and employees, and supplying snacks for the Saturday support group.

Calm Waters also is collecting donations of items that can help veterans in need such as food, clothing and personal-care items.

Immediate support

Krystal Lohff has established a support group for veterans that meets at 9 a.m. Saturdays at her office, Integrated Care and Consultation, 5117 S. Crossing Place in Sioux Falls.

Calm Waters has a Facebook page at facebook.com/CWveteranvillage and a website at calmwaters-sf.com.