Veteran Services
Veteran Services at Volunteers of America of the Northern Rockies
Volunteers of America of the Northern Rockies are actively committed to servicing our nation’s veterans. We provide several programs that are designed to address the needs of our veteran population and are working hard to assist in accomplishing President Obama’s goal to eliminate homelessness amongst veterans in five years. Volunteers of America provides services that are directed to veterans of all military campaigns; from Vietnam to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. We are active in providing services to veterans who have become homeless because of conditions and circumstances that have developed in their lives since serving in the military. Because many conditions do not become apparent until after our veterans are discharged from service, it is possible for men and women to be out of the service for up to 10 years before realizing they need help. Therefore Volunteers of America stand poised to offer our assistance.
There are several different services that Volunteers of America of the Northern Rockies offers to the veterans in this area. The first way that we serve our veteran population is through our community shelter. Within our shelter, 16 beds are dedicated to serving veterans. The veterans program at the Community Shelter is a part of the Veterans Administration’s Grant per Diem program. While veterans are at the shelter, we help them to create a living plan and try to connect them with local organizations such as Wyoming Work Force, Department of Family Services, Vocational Rehab and other community partners that can assist them in leaving the state of homelessness and establishing permanence in their lives. Additionally, since the local community shelter is located on the same grounds as the Veterans Medical Facility, our staff are able to work closely with VA personnel to get obtain the best services for veterans. A cooperative relationship has been created between Volunteers of America and the VAMC of Sheridan.
The other resources that Volunteers of America uses to serve our veteran population are two transitional living facilities. One is Freedom Hall and is located in Sheridan, Wyoming and the other is Independence Hall and is located in Billings Montana. Freedom Hall is a 10 bed men’s facility and Independence Hall is a 20 bed men’s facility. Both facilities are funded through the Grant Per Diem program through the Veterans’ Administration. In these programs we provide a therapeutic living environment for our veterans. In this environment, they are able to continue receiving treatment through the V.A. and are given opportunities to participate in activities designed to help them reenter into independent living, and reconnect with the local community. The coordinators of both programs work hard to connect them with vocational training and education opportunities, and offer life skills training to prepare them to lead successful lives. Both programs are working to create a strong community network that can work together to help our veterans reenter their communities.