New initiatives aimed at helping veterans find employment, secure permanent housing and successfully reintegrate into society are making headway. However, there are still more than 40,000 homeless veterans in the United States and just over 1 million former service members at risk of homelessness.
To help address the problem, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently awarded more than $47 million in grant money to provide homeless veterans with reintegration services specifically focused on workforce training and education.
“While serving in the military, veterans learn many skills desired in today's workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta in a recent news release. “These grants will help thousands of homeless veterans reintegrate themselves into society and secure good jobs.”
The 163 Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants will be awarded on a state-by-state basis and are projected to help more than 18,000 veterans find employment with the help of occupational skills training, apprenticeship programs and on-the-job instruction.
Why is finding a job so difficult for veterans?
Employment remains one of the biggest hurdles for veterans returning to civilian life. Despite a successful military career, many veterans lack advanced degrees or certifications that could give them a competitive edge in the job market. On top of that, prospective employers are often unsure of how veterans’ unique skills translate to those needed in the everyday workforce, or they worry about future deployments leaving them short-staffed.
And, for the tens of thousands of veterans without a phone number or physical address, finding a job can be even harder. Not only do they lack the resources necessary to search for potential job opportunities, but they also have no way of staying in contact with prospective employers. The new DOL grants are a positive step toward helping homeless veterans overcome these obstacles.
Started your job hunt? Make sure you can provide proof of service.
To take advantage of employment benefits or education and training opportunities geared toward veterans, the first step is often providing proof of service. A DD214, also known as a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, is one of the most valuable military documents a veteran can possess and the one requested most often to show proof of service. The problem? Not all veterans have them.
Maybe you never received your DD214 or it was lost, stolen or damaged somehow. If so, DD214Direct can help you obtain a copy so can focus your efforts on continuing your job search instead of continually following up with the government to see if they’ve found your records.
While the National Archives eVetRecs system offers to find your military service records for free, the reality is that it can take considerably more time than you have to spare. We know this because we work with countless veterans who could no longer afford to wait and came to us because they wanted a faster, more reliable solution.
Veteran-owned DD214Direct helps you get the documents you need, when you need them.
Our cutting-edge technology platform and keen knowledge of government protocol and procedure allow us to deliver your documents faster than competitors, freeing up your time and easing your worries about whether or not you will have your DD214 when you need it. Much like paying a small fee for an expedited passport so you don’t miss your trip, DD214Direct provides the peace of mind you’ve been hoping for.
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