Homeless veterans program to receive $300,000
WOODSTOCK – A Woodstock nonprofit that helps homeless veterans re-enter the work force has been awarded a grant to expand its services.
Transitional Living Services will receive almost $300,000 through the Department of Labor to reach out to struggling veterans in McHenry, Kane, DuPage and northern Cook counties.
Transitional Living Services, which was formed in 1996 by a group of McHenry County veterans to help disadvantaged and disabled veterans, operates New Horizons in Hebron. The transitional living center operates out of a renovated former roadside motel.
The organization is in particular need of funding in anticipation of veterans returning from the Middle East, Executive Director Alan Belcher said.
“In the last year, we’ve had six veterans come back from Iraq and Afghanistan who were served up in Hebron,” Belcher said. “There’s already been six in just one year, so we know there’s going to be an influx of people coming in.”
The grant from the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program was one of 98 totaling $25 million for agencies across the country.
By late July, Transitional Living Services plans to have its new program in place, contracting with Salute Services Group Inc. for employment assessment, training, placement and follow-up services.
“We know that there are pockets of homelessness,” Belcher said. “One example is the Waukegan area, and another example is the Elgin area. We’ll concentrate on those pockets of homeless veterans where most of them will be and rely on other agencies to identify other individuals.”
Transitional Living Services also has relationships with government services and other nonprofits, including McHenry County College, Public Action to Deliver Shelter for emergency and transitional housing, as well as Senior Helpers for assistance with daily living activities such as housekeeping and cooking.
Division Director Scott Block said PADS was affiliated with Transitional Living Services through the McHenry County Continuum of Care.
“When we have veterans, they’re obviously one of our first choices of places to refer for housing, and we sometimes get veterans in here to the PADS day program,” Block said of Transitional Living Services.
In addition, because drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues sometimes are a barrier to employment for homeless veterans, Transitional Living Services will help with referrals to Veterans Affairs hospitals, Belcher said.
“These are people who served our country,” he said. “They need a second chance, and that’s what we’re providing them.”