• Harris County and the City of Houston joined together in June 2007 to launch the Returning Veteran’s Initiative as part of a cooperative city-county effort to ease the transition home for thousands of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq returning to the Greater Houston Area.

• Through a mounting number of news articles both nationally and locally, public and private testimony and observation, it became increasingly evident that the foundation for a smooth transition for our returning veterans was not in place.

• The thousands of war veterans returning to the local community represent the very best our nation and state have to offer, yet too many were struggling as they worked to reenter civilian society.

• Especially those heroes carrying the burdens of war related injury and illness.

Background

The City of Houston’s Mayor Bill White and Harris County’s Judge Ed Emmett called together leaders of all levels of government: federal, state and local, along with military, religious, education, media and service organizations in an effort to identity the depth of the issues through the testimony of our returning soldiers and gather information from experts and concerned parties.  

The Summits and Committee Work

• The issues were discussed at two summits, the first in June 2007, chaired by Mayor White, and the second in November 2007, chaired by Judge Emmett held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

• As a result of the first summit, a database of these individuals and groups was compiled and four committees were formed to address the issues: These committees were the logistics of living, education and career, interaction with public assistance programs, and mentoring.

• These committees focused their attention on the needs of men and women returning to the Greater Houston Area from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

• At the second summit, in addition to further fact finding, the committee chairpersons reported their findings on gaps in service, procedures set in motion to resolve service gaps as well as what methods were needed to resolve the remaining issues.

• The issues we could immediately, we did. Some are still being worked on locally and those issues that must be resolved at the national level are being discussed and reviewed, with recommendations, to our national leadership.

The Summits and Committee Work

• On October 29, 2007, Mayor Bill White announced the creation of the City of Houston Office of Veterans’ Affairs. The mission of the office is to assist all veterans of the United States Armed Forces through advocacy, referral and counseling, to ensure that neither they, nor their dependents, nor survivors are denied access to the entitlements promised to them by a grateful nation.

• One of only a handful of such municipal offices in the nation. Mentor to others.

• Since inception of this office over 1,000 phone calls, emails and/or referrals from veterans and/or family members dealing with a variety of issues have been answered.

• This office works in a spirit of coordinated cooperation with the Harris County Veteran’s Services Officer, the Veterans Administration and numerous veteran affiliated service organizations to meet the needs of our servicemembers and veterans.

Creation of an Office of Veterans’ Affairs

HOUSTON NAMED ONE OF THE MOST MILITARY-FRIENDLY CITIES TO LIVE AND WORKBy Danielle Babb from www.military.com

A Resource Directory

• Shortly after the first summit, county staff coordinated with summit committee members and other community service providers to produce a resource directory that would provide a compilation of services available to all of the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. It was particularly directed at those services available for the individuals recently returning to their homes, families, jobs, and communities from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Unveiled on November 15, 2007, the directory, entitled “Navigating the Road to Services for Returning Veterans,” lists hundreds of governmental, nonprofit and faith-based organizations that provide financial, legal and educational services, assistance with housing, transportation, employment, health care and many other issues.  • Veterans and their families can obtain copies of the printed resource directory, a foldout wallet-sized version as well as access it on line. This directory is also web-based counterparts located at www.csd.hctx.net at the county, www.houstontx.gov/vetaffairs at the city and at www.houstonreturningvets.org.

So how many people do we have running around in uniform that we are serving ?

• 3.4 million total worldwide• Active Duty 1,421,787• Spouses 777,011• Children 1,216,020

Source: Department of Veterans Affairs; Coalition for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans

Over 1.4 million young Americanshave been deployed in support

of OEF/OIF since 9/11 and approximately 45% of these veterans are members of the National Guard and Reserve

According to the Texas Veterans Commission’s 2007 reports, Harris County has the largest population of veterans in the State – an estimated 197,000!

Counting the surrounding counties there are over 304,000 veterans in the Greater Houston Area, an estimated 16,000 are veterans of the Global War on Terror - one of the largest populations of OEF/OIF veterans in the country. And the 72nd BCT is next.

Source: Texas Veterans Commission

OEF/OIF Returning Veterans

Medical- working with VA Programs, visits, teamworkCommunications: Websites, Resource Directory, 2-1-1, CitizensNet, Email to specifically targeted groups, HMAC event email, Reporters, VA Newsletter,

Others websites, HTV Military program, CouncilmembersEmployment: Job Fairs (quarterly Recruit Military & others), TWC, Manpower Project, COH (HPD, HFD, & HR)Medical- working with VA Programs (Collaboration and Advocacy)Mental & Medical Health service expansion to support PTSD /TBI growthGrant funding / search /support lettersMentoring: HMAC Sub-committee on OEF/OIF, IAVA, and RVI WebsiteEducation : VSOs, student organizations, speaking at schools, New GI Bill

Workshop, Outreach to schools, student, service members, & veteransWelcome Home ceremonies / outreach (Expos, fairs, etc)Helping to grow veteran businesses and non-profitsTri-care medical insurance issues and growthRecent OIF Veteran on COH OVA staff (John)HPD training classes on PTSD and TBILegislative issues (102 this year in Texas alone)

Work with Ann Travis’ teamLegal Services through Houston Bar (HVLA)

Disabled Veterans

MOPD and HEREVA Hospital Issues/AdvocacyFort Sam Houston’s Center for the IntrepidEmployment to include COHHelping a Hero Home for Our TroopsOperation Grateful NationLegislative issues (Ad Valorem Tax)DV License PlatesSBA and COH DBE registration Houston MarathonMetal & Muscle Expo (Military paralympics

and resource fair)Veterans Court (Harris County and DA)

Risk Aversion

Active Military/Guard and Reserves

Ellington Joint Reserve Base expansion and fundingCommunity Covenant with DOD, Judge, Mayor, Community, and MilitaryCOH Employee deployment policiesTraining activities for deploying unitsLinking to resourcesFamily support servicesCommunicationsDeparture ceremoniesChanges of Command of major units in HoustonManpower (employment and education program (a national model in the making)” proactive not reactive”Recruiting Battalion (Suicides, Shared and Retired Chaplains) (Statistical

Data Sharing)Special Events (NHRA, HLS&R, Texans, Astros

Military Children

Military Childhood Education CoalitionDePelchin Children’s programHead Start and Kindergarten program for children of deployed service membersFamily Readiness Groups

Post Korean/ Pre-Retirement Veterans

Employment: Job fairs Texas Veteran land Board housing fairsMedical advocacy and disability benefit informationClose coordination with Harris County VSO and other service officers

VA Quarterly Service Office MeetingsSpecial Events (Korean War Vets Day at the Astros)Group Meetings and information sharing or assistance

HMAC, Gathering of Eagles, Marine Corps League, VFW, AL, Buffalo Soldiers Museum, etc

Texas Veterans Commission Annual Meeting in AustinTri-Care and USFPH health insurance

Post Retirement Veterans

VA Benefits: Pensions, Survivor Benefits, Burial, Insurance, paperwork (files), and miscellaneous questions

Medical and other advocacyMental health issuesSpeaking engagements (Silver Haired Legislature, Clubs)Housing and utility Issues

Homeless Veterans

1/3 of Houston homeless are veteransCoalition for the Homeless10 Year Plan strategy meetingsOutreach ProgramsAnnual Stand DownThanksgiving and Christmas activitiesVA Homeless substance abuse program

(Domicary) and Housing, Ike sheltering, HUDVASH

Homeless provider expansion (Red Cross, Salvation Army, SEARCH, U.S. Vets, Star of Hope

Employment: Goodwill and Search, Private Vet owned Business, COH IT Department

Housing Expansion through Non-Profit and Profit

Homeless Court (COH Municipal)Harris County Veteran Court

Homeless veterans have been identified as the

"Missing in America."

Ex-Offender Veterans

Post facility homeless prevention (Jail and Prison Outreach)COH H&HS program supportExpansion of housing programsTurning back on benefitsJobs (Veteran owned businesses willing to help veterans )

Veterans Events

Veteran’s DayMemorial DayJuly 4th

Armed Forces DayService BirthdaysWreaths Across AmericaSalute to Our Troops HLS&RRed, Wine, and BlueMarine MusterVietnam Veteran ActivitiesU.S.S. Houston MemorialWings Over HoustonFreedom FestProclamationsVeterans Park eventsMilitary Service Organizations Conventions (State and District)Other Veteran Activities / Events

ROTC and Local Universities

• The Houston Corps of cadets is the official association of Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine ROTC programs in Houston

– Created in September 2007

– AF & Army hosted by UH; Navy ROTC hosted by Rice

– With 311 cadets, Houston is the second largest Corps in Texas behind Texas A&M who has 1,783 cadets

– Direct contact with 96 High School Junior ROTC units

– Goal in 10 years to be the largest Corps in Texas

• Private scholarship endowment fund established by UH with a commitment of $200,000 from the Houston Chapter of the Military Officer’s Association of America

• Collaborative Leadership Seminars: Offer to all UH students, faculty, staff, and the Houston community the opportunity to learn practical leadership techniques from military and civilian instructors

– Supports the Carnegie Community Engagement initiative

– Would like to host City of Houston Employees

The awareness created through this project has been like a large stone cast into a pond. Its endless ripples move through the entire area and beyond affecting the lives of our veterans. As a community, we are grateful to all the men and women for their selfless service to our nation, and want to make their re-entry into our community as effortless as possible. As a project, the Returning Veterans Initiative has been the catalyst of that promise to our veterans. Many soldiers will be alive tomorrow thanks to a friend or family member who knew how to contact a help line. A frustrated veteran can find a service he or she needs or an advocate to help take up his crusade for justice. The cycle into homelessness will be broken for many. The threat of today’s 25% veteran rate of the nationwide homeless population and the high rate of incarceration of veterans will be reduced, saving countless tax payer dollars and wasted human potential. A community, already proud of its treatment of the Katrina evacuees, is prouder yet for it’s outreach and service to our nation’s heroes. RVI has been and is a commitment of the County and the City, shared by our local partners, to serve those injured while defending the country and support their recovery and successful rehabilitation.

Future impact on the community

There is no way that I covered everything I’m doing so ----

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