VOC'S Richards House Receives Grants from Two National Foundations
HelpAmerica Foundation and Foundation for American Veterans, Inc. have each awarded Veterans Outreach Center $10,000 to be used to make structural and life-safety repairs to Richards House.
HelpAmerica Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the AtHome America Company, has donated close to $1 million to date to organizations that support homeless American veterans.
"HelpAmerica Foundation is committed to serving our nation in many ways. We look to organizations like Veterans Outreach Center to help us carry out our mission to make the United States of America a better place, especially for our veterans, homeless or otherwise," said HelpAmerica Foundation coordinator, D.C. Curry.
Foundation for American Veterans, Inc. (FAV) was established to provide a variety of benefits for all veterans, regardless of branch of service. FAV's main goal is to step in and assist veterans - through veterans' hospitals, homeless programs, educational programs, crisis programs, etc. - where the local, state, and federal governments leave off.
"We are so grateful to both foundations for their generosity and for their appreciation of the sacrifice the men of Richards House have made for this country," said Judy Gilbert, VOC's Director of Residential Programs at Richards House.
Rochester-area groups hold outreach events for veterans
Terricha Bradley, Staff writer Democrat and Chronicle September 2, 2008
When the Rev. Roy Jones returned to Texas from serving in the Vietnam War in 1968, he was 21 years old and faced discrimination and racism. People called him a "baby killer," and he had no one he could turn to for help and support.
In the early 1970's, Jones moved to Rochester and joined the Veterans Outreach Center Inc. and helped with outreach services, so "nobody else has to go through what I went through," he said.
"Now we are here to help the ones that are coming back."
This summer, the VOC and Veterans Interfaith Clergy Advisory of Rochester (VICAR) held the first outreach event dubbed "Operation Reveille," offering services to Rochester-area veterans in need of housing, employment and counseling. VICAR, area clergy who are veterans themselves or are experienced in serving veterans, is a new organization providing material support for these programs through area churches.
Jones, 62, is a minister at Peace Baptist Church on Oregon Street, where service providers from VOC and state agencies gathered on Aug. 14 to sign up veterans for employment, housing and mental health services. Similar services will be offered on Thursday at Peace and in Henrietta at Christian Friendship Baptist Church on Sept. 26.
In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, "there are a lot of older guys who are Vietnam and Korean vets who don't know what benefits (they) have," said the Rev. Dr. Willie Harvey, head pastor at Peace Baptist Church.
Nena Siverd, the VOC employment specialist, called the event a "one-stop center" for all vet services.
"We are looking for more clergy to join and to get vets we don't normally see (who are) looking for spiritual counsel."
Robert L. Young, 40, of Rochester served in the New York National Guard from 1992 to 1997. He attended the recent event and received employment information. He said he was laid off from Kodak and has not found work since.
"Jobs aren't available for skilled workers who are veterans," he said. "To make it this long has really been a blessing."
In addition to free counseling services, veterans received personal care items and beverages at the event. According to Peter Blind, vice president of workforce development and human resources for VOC, $494,000 in federal grants from the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program and the Veterans Workforce Investment Program will help with enrollment for Operation Reveille.
Advocates help close gaps in veteran services
James Goodman, Staff Writer Democrat and Chronicle September 18, 2008
Gaps in health services are common, but Shelley Warner-Levison wonders whether her brother, Robert, might be alive today if the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center did not close its unit for the most serious of psychiatric cases.
Robert Warner, a 45-year-old Army veteran with a history of mental illness, had done well during his stays in the unit, said Warner-Levison, but he couldn't get readmitted in early 2007 because it was shutting down.
"His life continued to tumble," said Warner-Levison, who used to travel from her home in St. Lawrence County to visit her brother when he was at the Canandaigua V.A.
Last November, after bouncing from one medical facility to another, Warner died at a hospital in Potsdam from what the autopsy report said was a serious infection caused by eating glass fragments.
Such gaps and barriers to services for veterans will be explored this month by three summits, called Voices Together, organized by the local Veterans Outreach Center. The first of these summits is Friday at the Crosswinds Wesleyan Church in Canandaigua.
The gatherings, organized as focus groups, are for veterans, those now serving in the military and their families, and the various groups and agencies that can help them.
"This is a chance to reach out to the men and women who are coming back and say, 'Look, we want you to take part in setting up services to help you,'" said Ellen Warren, the outreach center's vice president for development.
Voices Together dovetails with another effort launched by the Rochester Regional Coalition established earlier this year to help veterans, service members and their families.
Concerns about care
Warner-Levison won't be attending the upcoming summits, but the issue of closing gaps in services is a cause she has taken on to keep the memory of her brother alive. In Robert Warner's case, his medical reports describe him as suffering from schizophrenia, a disorder often characterized by withdrawal and delusions, and his mental illness might have been a factor in his recurrent episodes of nausea and vomiting.
He also was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, said his sister, and eventually he was classified by the V.A. as 100 percent disabled.
Dan Ryan, spokesman for the Canandaigua V.A., said that he can't comment on individual cases but that anyone who qualified for care will receive it.
But Warner-Levison contends that her brother fell through the cracks and that no one seemed to monitor his medical treatment once he left Canandaigua.
She had contacted Rep. John McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, Jefferson County, and urged that federal officials keep the psychiatric unit open. She also tried to enlist veterans groups in her cause and urges medical facilities to have open lines of communication.
The Canandaigua V.A., meanwhile, is trying to forge closer ties with community groups and veterans returning from service.
Serving a six-county area, the local V.A. celebrated its 75th anniversary this year. But five years ago, the center almost closed as federal officials looked for cost-savings. In the face of protests, federal veterans officials backed off.
Since then, a reorganization of the center was announced, calling for new buildings in the existing complex on the grounds of the center and collaboration with the University of Rochester to create a Center of Excellence that stresses suicide prevention. A national hotline for suicide prevention has been established at the V.A
Canandaigua's V.A. has an annual budget of about $79 million and about 775 employees. Last year, 17,606 patients received services, mostly as outpatients.
Currently about 1,100 of the estimated 2,500 Rochester-area veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 are getting heath care here, said Kai Chitaphong who oversees the local V.A.'s outreach to these veterans. At the end of 2006, about half of 1,500 veterans from this area who had served there were getting health care here.
Veterans are classified into one of eight categories, the highest being service-connected disabilities and the lowest being no service-related care. The higher categories generally don't require a co-pay.
The income of the recipient can also be a factor in determining whether a co-pay kicks in or coverage is provided.
The number of veterans from all wars seeking some form of assistance from the local V.A. remains large.
Last year, the Monroe County Veterans Service Agency, which helps vets get services, took on 1,880 new cases, or 435 more than the in 2006.
Meanwhile, the Ontario County Veterans Service Agency, which provides a similar function for that county, was contacted by 1,120 vets last year.
Long-term needs
Helping a veteran, however, can require a long term commitment.
John Cushman, 36, who grew up in Palmyra, has no complaints about the medical care that has received from the Veterans Administration - at the Canandaigua hospital and elsewhere - from the severe wounds that he received from two roadside bombs in Iraq in 2004.
But Cushman is less certain about the road to recovery from emotional scars he has suffered.
"It's the mental stuff that haunts you, 24-7. The littlest thing can set you off," said Cushman, who is now living in Rocky Ford, Colo.
The fact that so many of the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are reservists and members of the National Guard called up for duty makes their deployments especially disruptive to families, especially when they are called up again after returning home.
Deborah Edlen, 38, of Mount Morris, Livingston County, has twice had to endure separations from her husband, Jason, who is in the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion.
During her husband's deployment to Afghanistan from November 2003 to October 2004, Edlen had to go from her full time job as a nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital to part-time work because she had four children to raise on her own.
"It was very difficult. I don't think I got the support needed," Edlen said.
Job fair geared to veterans
Democrat and Chronicle September 24, 2008
The Veterans Outreach Center will have more than 60 national and local employers on hand this afternoon for a job fair aimed at veterans.
The fair runs from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Eisenhart Auditorium of the Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave.
"Employers increasingly cite the exceptional qualifications and strong work ethics they acquire by hiring veterans," said Peter Blind, the outreach center's vice president of workforce development and human resources.
Employers will be looking for entry-level, blue-collar and professional job candidates, the organization said. Representatives of state agencies serving veterans, such as the state Department of Labor, are also scheduled to be on hand.
Vets seeking work find help at job expo
James Goodman, Staff Writer Democrat and Chronicle September 25, 2008
Hundreds of veterans and more than 60 employers packed the Eisenhart Auditorium of the Rochester Museum & Science Center Thursday, exchanging resumes and applications at the 8th Annual National Veterans Job Expo.
The expo focused largely on connecting area employers to veterans seeking entry-level positions. This year's crowd was the largest in the history of the event.
"More and more employers are realizing the values (veterans) bring to the work force," said Peter Blind, vice president of workforce development at the Veterans Outreach Center, which hosted the event. "They show up on time, they work hard, they're flexible and they're willing to work overtime to get the job done."
Linda Freeman of Rochester, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1979 to 1983, was attending the expo for the first time. Freeman, who said she's currently looking for clerical or office work, stopped at the Preferred Care stand, as well as a few of the temporary employment booths.
"I dropped off some resumes and got some contacts," she said. "It's been a good experience for me."
Overall, veterans had a slightly lower unemployment rate — 3.8 percent to 4.4 percent — than nonveterans in 2007, though the trend is reversed among those who have served recently.
In 2007, veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces since September 2001 had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. The unemployment rate for these "Gulf War-era II" veterans increases to 12 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds, 2½ points higher than the nonveteran rate for the same demographic.
Some of these younger veterans were on hand at the expo, including Shane Slaton, an army veteran who still serves in the National Guard. Slaton, 24, of Penfield, found an appealing job prospect right away.
"The first thing I ran into up there, the Monroe County Ambulance, that was pretty good," said Slaton. "It's a little beneficial to be a veteran and walk in there."
Regenail Thomas, a Marine Corps veteran who was recruiting for the Hillside Family of Agencies, where he works as an HR partner, said that veterans tend to possess certain characteristics that make them attractive hires.
"They bring above-average to excellent fundamentals, work ethic, dependability and they are easily trainable," said Thomas. "And veterans tend to be the individuals that'll step up when something is wrong and have the courage to say something."
Although Blind was unsure how many veterans had found jobs through the expo in the past, the Outreach Center is planning to gather statistical feedback from employers for the first time this year.
But many have found work through the event. A handful are now employed by the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Goodwill Industries of Rochester Inc. and C.O.P. Security Inc., which were both named "Employer of the Year" by the Outreach Center because of the companies' devotion to hiring veterans.
Randy Moore of Rochester attended the expo last year and got a job as a shipping clerk with ABVI Goodwill.
"I had to learn a little bit about their routine, but it's just learning how to shuffle things," said Moore. "It's been a good year... I don't have any plans on moving."
