INDIANAPOLIS — Louise Loyd, the founder of Helping Veterans And Families, an Indianapolis-based organization aimed at helping homeless Veterans gain access to housing and resources, has died. She was 101 years old.
HVAF announced Loyd’s passing on social media Monday morning.
Loyd founded the organization in 1993 after retiring as the President of the Indiana American Legion Auxiliary. She had just turned 68 years old.
Loyd initially started HVAF as a chapter of the Far From Home Foundation, another organization that assists homeless veterans, in partnership with the then-national president of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Loyd was, according to HVAF, one of the “driving forces” behind the group’s first transitional housing project for Veterans in Indianapolis, which opened in 1995. The house had been operating for nearly two years when the organization branched away from Far From Home, becoming Helping Veterans And Families.
“And, ever since, she championed our mission to end veteran homelessness,” HVAF wrote.
The nickname “The Sock Lady” comes from Loyd’s personal mission of handing out socks to Hoosier Veterans for over 30 years.
“With each pair of socks, she gave a little piece of her heart to everyone she encountered,” the organization said.
“It is hard to imagine an HVAF without Louise cheering us on, but in her honor, we will continue providing housing, hope, and self-sufficiency to veterans and their families.”
To learn more about HVAF and its history, visit their website.
