Veterans Outreach Center officials are revamping the agency's workforce development programs after losing a major federal grant that it has used to help vulnerable veterans find meaningful employment.
The $500,000 annual grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, which paid for a program that helped veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, expires this month.
In the most recent round of funding from the department's Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, the VOC was not awarded a new grant, even though it had received it for the past 20 years.
Laura Heltz, the center's executive director and an Army veteran, said the organization has looked at options, such as not filling vacant positions, to free up money.
"The veterans in our care, I think, will feel minimal effect," Heltz said. "We tried to spread out those changes across each department in the agency so that not one program got really, you know, slammed, and then we're going to have to figure out how to retool, recraft our workforce development programs," Heltz said.
She said the VOC wants to expand the veteran populations it serves through its workforce development programs. And it wants to partner with employers to "develop kind of a pipeline concept where we understand what their needs are."
"We create the training opportunities for vets," Heltz added, "and then, you know, identify good candidates for those employers, and hopefully then those vets will get hired on by our employer partners."
The VOC plans to focus on the construction, health care, technology, manufacturing, and food service fields. Heltz said interested employers are encouraged to reach out to VOC.
The federal funding paid for things like assessment of individuals, case management, training tailored to industries and jobs that are in demand locally, and employment placement.
The VOC also said it is exploring all options to replace the lost money, such as seeking support from corporate partners, elected officials, and members of the community.
