as ktvu's ann rubin reports, there is still a lot more work to be done. >> reporter: for michael eckert, helping homeless veterans is personal. that is because he knows exactly what it feels like to be in their shoes. eckert, an underwater demolition expert in the navy, was the victim of downsizing in a civilian job and ultimately spent 12 years on the streets. >> makes you want to scream out. you know, look at me, you know, i get it, too .it is a culture shock, it is demeaning, and it is not just veterans who go through. >> reporter: thanks to a program called all the way home, eckert and his wife have had their own apartment for the last year and a half. they are not alone. since 2015, the campaign in santa clara county has housed nearly 2000 veterans, offer them health services, school doctors and job assistance, too. >> this really helps ease the transition, you know, off of the street and also back to a life that the veteran feels like is fulfilling. >> all the way home began as an idea. both public, private and nonprofit skin together with a single focused goal. >> if we go after