operation reintegration

7/27/2019 Operation Reintegration

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Operation ReintegrationOperation Reintegration is a high-impactservice strategy in which the mayor’s

office engages veterans as volunteers

to help newly returning veterans

reintegrate into civilian life.

v e t e r a n s

OPERATIONREINTEGRATION

OPERATIONREINTEGRATION

a s e rv i c e b l u e pr i n t I M P A C T A R E A :

C i t i e s o f S e rv i c e :



M P A C T A R E A : v e t e r a n s

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c i t i e s o f s e r v i c e .

Reintegrating into civilian lie can be a complex and dicult process.Deployments can disrupt educations, careers, nances, and amily relationships,and the experiences o war can cause physical and mental trauma. Te strainon veterans and their communities is tangible and almost 40 percent o recentveterans receiving care rom VA hospitals have one or more mental healthdisorders.1

Veterans returning home ace a wide array o tasks to complete and decisions

to be made. Yet the many programs and services or veterans run by ocialagencies as well as by veterans service organizations (VSO) can be conusing,sometimes comprised in a ragmented and uncoordinated landscape. Te ullset o available services is not always well understood by the veteran and military communities.

1 Seal, Karen, et al (2009, July 16). rends and Risk Factors or Mental Health Diagnoses Among Iraqand Aghanistan Veterans Using Department o Veterans Aairs Health Care, 2002-2008. Retrieved July 21, 2009 rom American Journal o Public Health web site: http://bit.ly/l9I7. “From Anxiety, Panic &Health.com, Cited on Anxiety, Panic & Health.com April 25, 2011: http://bit.ly/jGwmj3.

Supportive and knowledgeable veterans– already reintegrated – serve as peermentors to connect returning veteransto programs and services that they may need, including nding and applying orbenets, and accessing health care, jobtraining, counseling, child care, and legaland nancial services. Equipped witha comprehensive list o a community’s

service providers and programs, trained onoutreach and assessment techniques, and

with the experience and understanding only a ellow veteran could have, theseveteran volunteers guide newly returning veterans to the resources they need most.

Operat ion

Re integrat ion is a

h igh - impact serv ice

strategy in wh ich

the mayor ’s o f f ice

engages veterans

as vo lunteers to

he lp newly return ing

veterans re integrate

into c i v i l i an l i fe .

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND

OPERATION

REINTEGRATION

OPERATION

REINTEGRATION




REQUIRED ELEMENTSREQUIRED ELEMENTS

1Mayor’s oce convenes a consortium o local partners, including active veterans service organizations (VSOs), the local military

installation commander (i applicable), public agencies with robustveterans programs, and volunteer organizations that are knowledge-able about veterans issues or initial discussion, input, and planning,

with the goal o establishing close partnerships.

3 Mayor’s oce determines the most efective venues or identi-ying and reaching out to returning veterans by working with

(i applicable) commanders at local military bases, National Guardand Reserve leaders, the local Veterans Afairs (VA) oce, and oth-er relevant veteran serving organizations.

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Mayor’s oce works with other community partners to recruitand train volunteers rom the veteran community to be efec-

tive mentors or new veterans.

5Volunteer mentors reach out to new veterans upon their return, ex-plain the program, and ofer their help. Using the Resource Guide, the

volunteer can suggest resources that the veteran should know about, andwill help the veteran understand how to get in touch with programs andwhat to expect rom the process. Te volunteer keeps a record o each con-tact and ollows up with each veteran on a monthly basis.

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Veterans who have gone through the transition themselves understand the potentialdiculties o reintegration. Trough Operation Reintegration, a community, under theleadership o the mayor’s oce, can engage veterans as volunteer mentors to increasereturning veterans’ awareness o and access to needed programs and services.

2In cities where such a guide does not exist, the groups identi-ed in Step 1 that are knowledgeable about veterans issues will

create an up-to-date, comprehensive, and easy-to-access ResourceGuide (online or in hard copy) that documents the ull range o local services and resources available or veterans and their amilies.




Convening partner organizations

6Mayor’s oce tracks and reports impact metrics across all peer

mentor relationships. Required impact metrics include:a. Number o returning veterans who receive assistance, as

evidenced by measuring at least one o the ollowing: •Numberofreturningveteranscontinuingtheireducation •Numberofreturningveteransgainingaccesstohousing

(temporary vs. stable) •Numberofreturningveteranssecuringajob •Reductioninnumberofreturningveteransservedatcrisis

centers, such as homeless shelters, amily protectiveservices, etc.

•Numberofreturningveteransaccessingnancialassistance, such as the VA’s housing loan guaranty program

•Numberofreturningveteransreceivinglegalassistanceb. Number o returning veterans contacted by a veteran volunteer

at least oncec. Number o returning veterans mentored by veteran volunteers

Optional metrics may include:a. Number o veteran volunteers recruited and trained to serve as

peer mentors

EXECUTINGOPERATION

REINTEGRATION

EXECUTINGOPERATION

REINTEGRATION

Identiy and convene veteran-ocused organizations or initial discussion,input, and planning, with the goal o establishing partnerships. Considerincluding active veterans service organizations, public agencies with robustveterans programs, and volunteer organizations that are knowledgeable aboutthe issues. Depending on their type o organization, partners might play onethe ollowing roles: providing input into the initiative’s design, contributing content or training topics, providing inormation on veteran-ocused servicesthey ofer or the Resource Guide, contributing lists o services already collected, or providing ongoing support to volunteers and the returning veterans as needed.




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identifying returning veterans Work with a local military installation commander, National Guard oce, or stateVA oce to ensure that newly returning service members are made aware o theopportunity to participate in Operation Reintegration. Due to privacy concerns,ocial government and military entities cannot share names directly, but local

military and government partners can advise on the best way or veteran volunteersto make their connections. For example, it may be helpul to ask an installationcommander to conduct a simple poll that asks members o returning units i they anticipate housing, jobs, or legal or nancial troubles upon return, and i they wouldlike to be paired with a peer mentor. Tese commanders may also be willing to link newly separating servicemen and women to mentors as part o the transition process.

Events such as airport homecomings, “hail and arewell” events to recognize servicemen and women who are leaving the military, and “yellow ribbon” welcome home

ceremonies are places where volunteers can make contact with new veterans. Anadditional approach may be to establish and publicize the initiative by partnering with institutions that provide a physical space to host volunteers, such as universities/colleges, community centers, VA hospitals, homeless shelters, or other locationseasily accessible or already well-known to returning veterans. Sign up and registrationprocedures should be easily accessible; some veterans, perhaps wary o social stigmaso asking or help, may not sel-identiy their own specic needs.

1. In cities where one doesn’t already exist, the mayor’s oce should develop a comprehensive guide to local resources or veterans. Tese service providers canbe based in your community or be aliates o the tens o thousands o veteransorganizations across the country. Compile a list o programs and services availablethrough public agencies, veterans organizations, and other relevant community organizations that either are specically designed or veterans and their amiliesor likely to be particularly useul to them, including inormation on preerencesand discounts or veterans. For each organization, include a brie description o the program or service provided, eligibility requirements, application process, and

contact inormation or the specic contact that receives veteran reerrals. Organizethe inormation clearly by program topic and consider posting an electronic copy online in a way that makes it easy or new veterans to nd.

Draw on lists already compiled by local partners, i available, making sure to addprograms specic to your city and include a contact person or reerrals so as tomake the reerral process as easy as possible or the mentored veterans. Keep theResource Guide current by reviewing and updating its content several times a year.

Compiling the resourCe guide




Begin by looking or programs and resources in the ollowing critical and basic need areas:• Finding and applying or benets

• Physical health and rehabilitation • Mental health and post-traumatic recovery

• Job training and employment • Family and social services, ranging rom marriage counseling to child care

• Legal and nancial services and counseling • Education and college • Housing and home loan support • Homelessness

• Substance abuse and addiction

2. Meet with general service providers to document how veterans can access their services.

Many agencies or organizations provide services critical to veterans’ reintegration,such as housing placement, job training, or amily or nancial counseling, but donot ocus on veterans or have requirements that make participation dicult orveterans. Meet with the agencies providing these services to explain OperationReintegration; understand the agency’s services, eligibility requirements, intakeprocess, and any preerences or veterans; and explore the best way to make reerrals.

As a relationship is established, the mayor’s oce also may help educate the agency on how to improve their services or veterans.

1. Develop and provide volunteer training. Volunteer mentors should be trained on thecontent o the Resource Guide, what it means to be a peer mentor, how to conductoutreach, and what resources are available both or their own support and to solvemore complicated situations that may arise in the lives o the veterans they arementoring. Include step-by-step instructions on program logistics regarding reerrals,ollow up, and maintaining contact records (the latter is important or measuring the impact o this initiative). raining might be provided by staf at a community partner or could be ofered by proessionals at a local training organization or

community college. Local partners can help determine the requency o training and organize the training program to establish a pipeline o volunteer mentors orthe initiative.

2. Veteran volunteers engage returning veterans. At the heart o the program, veteransrom the community volunteer their time and experience to serve as peer mentors,reaching out to returning veterans to help them successully reintegrate into civilianlie. Volunteers contact new veterans, explain the program, and ofer their help.

engaging

volunteers

as

peer

mentors




measuring impaCt

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Tese peer mentors talk to the returning veteran to get a sense o their needs and ascertainwhat resources in the community are best suited to provide help. Using the ResourceGuide, the volunteer may be able to suggest new resources or the returning veteran, andwill help him or her understand how to access programs as well as what to expect romthe processes.

Volunteer peer mentors should keep a record o every contact and ollow up with eachveteran ater 30, 60, and 90 days and every two months thereater, until the returning veteran eels that he or she is well on the path to civilian reintegration. As much aspossible, the volunteer should work with the initiative’s network o specialist partners tomeet the needs o those being served beore any crises emerge.

3. Support the veteran volunteers. Te mayor’s oce or key partners maintain regular contactwith volunteers to support them during their period o service, including providing

opportunities to share experiences with other volunteer mentors, receive additional orreresher training, and provide eedback. Partner organizations are available to provideongoing support to the volunteer as necessary to resolve any urgent issues or situationsthat arise or the mentored veterans. Volunteers may also need personal support to copewith emotional diculties that may surace as they ulll their role as a peer mentor.

Collecting data on the impact o Operation Reintegration is critical. Te Mayor’s

oce tracks and reports impact metrics across all peer mentor relationships.

Required impact metrics include:a. Number o returning veterans who receive assistance, as evidenced by

measuring at least one o the ollowing: •Numberofreturningveteranscontinuingtheireducation •Numberofreturningveteransgainingaccesstohousing

(temporary vs. stable) •Numberofreturningveteranssecuringajob •Reductioninnumberofreturningveteransservedatcrisis

centers, such as homeless shelters, amily protective services, etc. •Numberofreturningveteransaccessingnancial

assistance, such as the VA’s housing loan guaranty program •Numberofreturningveteransreceivinglegalassistance

b. Number o returning veterans contacted by a veteran volunteerat least once

c. Number o returning veterans mentored by veteran volunteers




(measuring impaCt Continued)Optional metrics may include:

a. Number o veteran volunteers recruited and trained to serve aspeer mentors

A note about baseline data: Baseline data on the size o a city’s veteran population,the number o returning veterans, and the number being served may not be availableat the outset o the initiative. o gauge potential demand as well as current use o such a program, consider asking sources at the local military installation or thestate’s Department o Veterans Afairs or estimates o the number o new veteransreturning to the area each year.

fundraising for operation reintegrationOperation Reintegration is a compelling undraising opportunity or oundations andcorporations with a commitment to the successul reintegration o veterans and theiramilies. Cities implementing Operation Reintegration should cultivate local sponsor-ship opportunities to help cover costs o the program (e.g., printed materials or mealsduring training events).

Te elements o a typical proposal include:• Description o Operation Reintegration• How this initiative will positively impact returning veterans and their

amilies (e.g., the value o veteran mentor relationships, increased access toveteran resources, smoother transitions)

• Amount o unding requested and how those unds will be used(e.g. paying or supplies or printed materials)

• Te metrics that will be collected to assess progress • Inormation on Cities o Service (this is especially helpul or national

unders) • Recognition plan or the donor (e.g., this could include putting their logo

on printed materials or a website, or verbal thanks in the training session, or

acknowledgement at a public event)

Be sure to provide sponsors with eedback on the results, including photos and metricsinormation as Operation Reintegration is carried out. In some cases, private undersmay not want to provide unding directly to city governments. I that happens, you canseek out a local nonprot partner to receive the unds.




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reCognizing and thanking volunteersRecognize, thank, and honor the veteran volunteers and the veteran community they serve. Te mayor’s oce and its partners can recognize all volunteers with a letter o thanks upon completion o a nite commitment or annually in the case o long-termvolunteers. Consider nominating volunteers or service awards, or recognizing veteran

volunteers and veterans during ceremonies on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, or Inde-pendence Day. Consult and coordinate with local veterans service organizations onwhat orms o recognition are likely to be the most meaningul and appropriate orthe veteran volunteers.

OPTIONAL ELEMENTSOPTIONAL ELEMENTS

foCus on a seleCt veteran population A city may wish to pilot the program by ocusing services on a specic population o returning veterans, to limit initial planning and development variables. Focusing ona more narrow population could make the pilot more manageable in terms o train-ing development, volunteer recruitment, and collection o metrics. An initial ocusmay include, but not be limited to, the ollowing groups within the returning veteranpopulation:

• Female veterans • Young veterans seeking to use the GI bill to enter and/or complete college • Veterans seeking job training or placement • Veterans in need o legal, nancial, or amily counseling

Te ocus should be determined by local needs, resources and available expertise in vet-erans’ issues. I a more narrow ocus is chosen, volunteers can be trained in the particu-lar aspects and needs o the target population and developing outreach methodologiesspecic to that population. For certain populations, a tailored ocus may also afect theprole o volunteers that are recruited, who will likely be drawn rom the same prolein order to more easily relate (e.g., emale veterans).




Veteran volunteers with relevant expertise may be able to contribute by serving as a “resource volunteer” rather than an “outreach volunteer.” Resource volunteers may bewilling to contribute proessional services (e.g., nance, legal, counseling) or detailedunderstanding o complex processes (e.g., gaining GI bill benets, applying or hous-ing benets, entering and succeeding at job training programs, entering substanceabuse programs, recovering rom traumatic brain injury) to support outreach volun-teers’ eforts.

Spouses and amily members o veterans can be a terric resource to include in a veter-an-ocused outreach program. Tey are motivated by a similar mission and equippedwith an understanding and specic knowledge o the issues. Tey may have experi-ence assisting their amily member to apply or services or progress through stages o recovery, and they are oten looking or opportunities to serve. In many instances,these amily members could serve as peer mentors to the amily members o returning vets.

provide a speCifiC role for veterans with expertise

inClude opportunities for veteran spouses and families to serve




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Many programs provide services to veterans or aim to coordinate assistance, butrelatively ew leverage veterans as volunteers to conduct outreach to the veterancommunity to assist with return and reintegration. Te example below representsone way o implementing this model, highlights critical elements o it, such asvets-to-vets service, partnering with active duty military leaders on early identi-

cation o returning service members’ needs, and compiling a blueprint o com-munity resources or vets.

Te City o Austin, exas is piloting an initiative called Operation Outreach. Teprogram is implemented through a partnership with the Central exas chapter o the Red Cross, which volunteered its capacity to manage volunteers. So ar, over500 veterans have been served through the program, including over 230 veteransconnected to employment services, over 200 veterans connected to health andmental health services, and over 160 veterans connected to housing services. Te

initiative also matches veterans with other critical resources like transportationassistance to work, utility payment supports, and vet-to-vet mentoring services.

Additionally, the city’s Workorce Solutions Center provided a private space orvolunteers and veterans to meet and receive individual support. Te space unc-tioned as a centralized location to where local nonprots could reer veteransto help them connect to needed services. Ultimately, the goal o the initiative isto support returning veterans in maintaining successul and sel-sucient lives.(Austin’s high-impact service plan can be ound at www.citiesoservice.org .)

OPERATION

REINTEGRATION

IN ACTION

OPERATION

REINTEGRATION

IN ACTION




Service Organizations ocused on managing volunteer programsor serving the veteran community may make good implementing partners, or be able to contribute expertise in managing theprogram or seeking unding. Examples include:

• Points o Light Institute’s Veteran Leader Corps, a nationalservice program that ocuses on developing volunteer leadership,meaningul service opportunities, and cultivating job readiness

with robust training and resources or veterans and military amilies (http://bit.ly/XwMUB).

• AmeriCorps’ Veterans Corps Programs in states that matchvolunteering veterans with opportunities to serve the localveteran community (http://1.usa.gov/12pOHDh).

• Local Chapters o the Red Cross implementing the Veterans Aairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) program(http://bit.ly/kXV0ub).

• Give an Hour, a non-prot organization providing ree mentalhealth services to U.S. military personnel and their amiliesaected by the current conficts in Iraq and Aghanistan. Servicesare provided by mental health proessionals who commit tovolunteering one hour per week or a year(http://www.giveanhour.org/).

• Te Mission Continues, which awards community serviceellowships to post-9/11 veterans, empowering them to

transorm their own lives by serving others and directly impacting their communities. Mission Continues Fellows serveor six months at a local nonprot organization addressing key educational, environmental or social issues. Each Fellow worksto achieve a post-ellowship goal o ull-time employment and/or pursuit o higher education, while maintaining a permanentrole o public service (http://missioncontinues.org).

RESOURCESRESOURCES




(resourCes Continued)• Te Washington State Department o Veterans Aairs manages the

Veterans Conservation Corps, which includes a Vet Corps component.Te program leverages AmeriCorps veteran volunteers to help

Washington’s veterans navigate the state’s higher education and training programs to help veterans adjust rom military to college lie(http://1.usa.gov/m9ks3q).

• Points o Light Institute’s Community Blueprint is aimed at helping

the public take stock o the resources available in their community or veterans. Te Community Blueprint covers eight areas: BehavioralHealth; Education: K-12 and Post-high school; Employment; Family Strength; Financial/Legal Services; Homelessness; Reintegration; andVolunteerism (http://bit.ly/QioRHR).

• eam Rubicon (R) unites the skills and experiences o military veterans with rst responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Sinceits creation in January 2010, R has impacted thousands o lives – inHaiti, Chile, Burma, Pakistan, Sudan, and here at home, in Vermont,Maryland, Missouri, and Alabama. R reaches victims outside the scopeo where traditional aid organizations venture; victims on the ringe.(http://teamrubiconusa.org/).

Useul reports and resource directories include:• Te United States Department o Veterans Aairs has launched the

National Resources Directory (NRD) to provide access to services andresources at the national, state, and local levels that support recovery,rehabilitation and community reintegration(http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/).

• Civic Enterprises has released a detailed report, “All Volunteer Force:From Military to Civilian Service,” describing the untapped volunteer

potential o returning veterans (http://bit.ly/UdP7ZZ).

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Federal agencies and national organizations operating critical programsinclude:

• Department o Veterans Aairs (http://www.va.gov/)

• U.S. Department o Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (http://www.hud.gov/) o Inormation on HUD’s inormation or veterans

(http://1.usa.gov/kNrAnl) o HUD has established a hotline or veterans acing homelessness

(http://1.usa.gov/lFwsg)

• Department o Labor’s (DOL) Oce o Veterans Employment andraining Service (http://www.dol.gov/vets/)

o DOL has announced “Stand Down” grants totaling $600,000 tohelp 10,000 homeless veterans reintegrate(http://1.usa.gov/jxYdvH).

(resourCes Continued)



Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition o over 150 mayors committed toaddressing critical city needs through impact volunteering. American cities aceserious challenges and many mayors want to take advantage o every resource

available to them – including the time and energy o public-spirited residents– to address those challenges. But in cities across America today, citizenservice is oten an underutilized or ineciently utilized strategy by municipalgovernments. By leveraging citizen service strategies, Cities o Service helpsmayors address local needs and make government more eective.

operation reintegration

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