News

New Program to Help Returning Veterans Access Key Services

After more than a decade of ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, many returning veterans and their families have difficulty readjusting to community life, with many experiencing a tough time finding jobs or adequate housing, or suffering from mental, physical,and substance use disorders. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the National Guard Bureau, and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has announced a unique new program called VetCorps to help returning veterans and their families access the critical services and support they need, ranging from social, mental, and physical health services to housing and employment assistance.

With funding support from CNCS, CADCA will recruit military veterans to serve as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members within CADCA’s community coalitions across the country. Community coalitions are multisector organizations that bring together key community institutions and volunteers to solve challenging local problems. The AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members will work within the coalition’s existing infrastructure to increase the community’s capacity to provide economic opportunities for veterans and their families and to ensure that they receive necessary housing, healthcare services and family support, and to include substance abuse prevention and treatment. In its first year, VetCorps will place up to 100 full-time AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members in CADCA coalitions located in 28 states.

“We developed VetCorps to improve the overall quality of life for veterans and military families, particularly National Guard and Reserve members who don’t benefit from services readily available on military bases, such as family support centers and counseling services,” says CADCA Chairman and CEO Gen. Arthur T. Dean. “What makes VetCorps unique is that by recruiting veterans to serve as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members, we will be using the valuable skills and knowledge of veterans to help other veterans in the community.”

— Source: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America