quartered in Peoria, Illinois, is home to veterans programming that has grown from one man's desire to help homeless veterans into the thriv- men in Peoria as a volunteer in 2004. Learning that many of the men who came were veterans, he often spent his own money to help them. A Marine Corps veteran him- self, he longed to do more. worker to help veterans get the as- sistance they needed to become self- sufficient. Knowing that space was limited but the need great, Johnson lined up community support for a veterans' assistance center. and groups--including the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Habitat for Humanity, Sears retirees, the Kyle Harrell Memorial fund, local businesses and anonymous do- nors--a former storage facility was unteers, many of them military vet- erans, did much of the remodeling. The Salvation Army of- ficially opened the Veter- ans Outreach Center in Peoria on November 10, 2011, the anniversary of the Marine Corps. of helping veterans navi- gate through the U.S. De- partment of Veterans Affair's entities to file for disability claims, select healthcare plans, and more. The center has since become a Supportive Services for Veterans and their Families (SSVF) Grantee, expanding its work to include both veteran service of- ficers and SSVF case managers. services and computers to assist with r�sum� writing and job searches. Run by volunteers, the center complements other commu- nity services by meeting needs not addressed elsewhere. ing to attend. improve the quality of life for those we serve, and that certainly is borne out by the work the staff at the Veterans Outreach Center has provided for so many vet- erans," said Major Kelly the Heartland Division. from Rich Glavin, who worked as a veterans' service officer alongside Johnson. "Rich came and gave a talk to our Post Traumatic Stress Disorder support group, and shortly Stephanie Sanchez. |