As I reflect on the year behind us and the year to come, I am excited and encouraged by the forward movement of our organization. Our goal is to continually improve upon the services, programming, and housing that we offer our Veterans and to serve as a resource for our community to understand and advocate for our homeless Veterans. I can proudly say that 2019 was a year that brought great improvements in all aspects of Veterans Place service.
As I look at our plans for 2020 and the need for our leadership in fighting Veteran homelessness, I am humbly optimistic that Veterans Place will continue to grow, stay relevant and improve in many ways. With the help of our donors, volunteers, collaborating organizations, and Board of Directors, Veterans Place aims to deliver high- quality, long-lasting, and impactful services that reach above and beyond our capacity to serve in 2019.
Our success is rooted in our daily commitment to execute our mission to provide our country’s deserving Veterans the very best of collaborative, compansionate and effective service to give them the opportunity to live impactful, healthy and sustainable lives. We meet our Veterans where they are to help them get to where they want to be and we count on all of our supporters to help us fulfill this mission. Thank you for helping us serve those who have served our country!
Marlon Ferguson
Grand Opening of Veterans Resource Center (VRC)- With the aid of our sponsors and donors, the Veterans Resource Center officially opened to offer a multitude of services to our Veterans. The renovation of the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) was a marathon, not a sprint that would not have been possible without the collaborative support of industry and the Trades . The community came together to provide this space for our Veterans, and we are proud of the outcome. Also, at the twelfth hour, Wal-Mart stepped up to fill a gap by funding our commercial-grade appliances, food pantry shelving and fully stocking the shelves. Also, they surprised us with a $20,000 check to Veterans Place. Our Veterans Resource Center now offers laundry and shower facilities and a state-of-the-art Smart Classroom with a fully functional Smart Board and projector. We are grateful to all of our partners who made this dream become a reality. We hope to see more Veterans utilize the (VRC) to provide them with the services that they need.
Veterans Resource Center-Our program offers Western Pennsylvania’s displaced Veterans a place to receive food, clothing, employment and housing assistance, and supportive services to address substance-abuse and mental health related issues. We offer our Veterans a variety of tailored programs to meet their needs. Also, in an effort to be responsive to the needs of our Veteran population, Veterans Place offers two new programs that will provide specialized resources for our Veterans: The Female Veteran Program and Opioid Response Program. These new programs will provide resources to our Veterans and community to address issues of our female Veterans and those combatting opiod addiction.
Transitional Housing Program– Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless benefit greatly from the services provided here. Whether they are simply in need of a safe, secure, clean environment to live, or they need a place to stay for a short period of time before moving into permanent housing, Veterans are received with open arms and are provided with the necessary assistance to move forward.
Employment Services– Through federal grants and donor support, we help low-income, at-risk, and homeless vets reintegrate into the workforce and find competitive, steady employment in the community. We also provide them with they need to maintain employment, such as transportation, tools and trainings for their chosen career path.
Steelers Game and Donation
-Cornhole tournament
-Annual Giving Drive
-Job Fair
-How to give
-How giving helps
