Snohomish County WDC awarded $300,000 for homeless veterans!

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced on June 21, 2006 that the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council will receive $300,000 to help expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the workforce.

“We need to make sure that the men and women who have given so much to their country are not left behind,” said Cantwell.  “This grant will help homeless veterans get jobs and get back on their feet.  We need to honor our commitment to America's veterans, and this grant will help the Snohomish County Workforce Development Council do just that.”

The $300,000 grant comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP).  The program offers competitive grants to state and local governments and non-profit and community organizations.  Funds are used to treat substance abuse and provide emergency shelter, job placement, resume preparation, and employment counseling to homeless veterans. 

Under the umbrella of the WorkSource Snohomish County's Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS) Initiative, this grant will fund the WDC's offering of an urban Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program that provides a comprehensive array of services that support self-sufficiency including job training, placement, and retention services in targeted industry cluster that expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force.

This grant marks the fourth year that the WDC has been awarded HVRP funding from the Department of Labor.  In early 2003, the Snohomish County WDC received a grant from the United States Department of Labor to fund a Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) to expand services to veterans in our community. Given the WDC's strong performance, the HVRP grant was extended into Program Years 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, the HVRP program was recognized with two awards this year: the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans awarded the WDC with a Partnership Award for its commitment to HVRP and an the Employment Security Department granted Patrick Martinez and the VETS team with an Extra Mile Award for their excellent service to the homeless veterans population.

For more information about HRVP, contact the Everett Veterans Employment Representative at WorkSource Everett at (425) 258-6323 or click here.