Goodwill Industries Gets Grant To Help Homeless Vets
Even as states begin to open, and figure out how to help their communities recover, there is still so much left to be done. The CARES Act signed into law in March gave states funding to be used to award grants for organizations to help further the communities they serve. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Goodwill Industries has awarded a grant of $830,000 to provide services for homeless services for veterans as well as their families.
This grant will fund an existing program called The Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, which provides services to veterans who are in danger of becoming homeless. The program provides these veterans with temporary housing-related services.
Here are the counties that are served by this program:
Canadian, Logan, Seminole, Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Cleveland, and Oklahoma.
And here are some of the benefits that The Supportive Services for Veteran Families Programs provides:
- Direct Outreach to Veterans: SSVF staff goes to where veterans are to inform them about the services available to them. This includes attending community events and coordinating with other veteran services programs to help ensure that veterans have access to what they need.
- Case Management For Enrolled Veterans: This means helping veterans to find resources that address any unmet needs. This includes resources directly offered internally as well as external partner organizations. Case managers will also help veterans to create “a housing stability plan” to help address long-term housing stability.
- Career and Employment Services: All SSVF participants will have access to various employment-related services, including specialized employment training, job readiness assistance, and individualized employment counseling, all of which will help lower the risk of homelessness and poverty among veterans.
- Direct-Housing Services: A licensed realtor will provide housing mediation between tenants and landlords, housing counseling, inspections, as well as direct-help helping veterans in finding a home.
- Direct Legal Assistance: The Legal Aid Society of Oklahoma will actually work with SSVF to provide legal counseling services to participants that will help them to navigate through housing barriers and assist with applying for housing assistance.
Other services under this program according to Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma website include:
- Emergency Housing Stability Assistance
- Temporary Financial Assistance
- VA Benefits Assistance
- Public and Community Assistance
- Referrals to other services including health care, health insurance, education services, daily living services, personal financial planning services and child care services.