With the veteran homelessness problem now getting a lot more attention nationwide, a lot of individual cities are now starting to do more to deal with the problem whenever they can. To that end, one group in Western Massachusetts has come up with an impressive plan to help alleviate the problem.

The veterans assistance group Soldier On recently began renovations on the long-unused Chapin School in Chicopee property it purchased in 2012, according to a report from the Springfield Republican. Through a number of funding sources including grants, loans, and tax credits, the group was able to start the $10.5 million work last year, and they are now expected to come to an end in June, at which point veterans can begin moving into its 43 one-bedroom apartments.

"We are in the process of identifying veterans who are eligible for the units," Joanne Beauregard, controller for Daniel O'Connell and Sons, a construction firm that partnered with Soldier On, told the newspaper. "Everyone who qualifies was once homeless and is in temporary housing."

Veterans who are struggling in this way, or know people who are, will likely have at least one organization in their area that aims to help get former servicemembers off the streets.

Veterans are discharged from the armed services with some of best training imaginable, but when it comes to securing high-level civilian employment, sometimes just a bit more schooling can make a world of difference.

Korn Ferry and Harris Corp., two tech and manpower giants, are joining to offer a free Leveraging Military Leadership Program for both active duty servicemembers and veterans who have recently transitioned into their life after service, the Military Times reported.

This is the same leadership training given to the CEOs and senior executives of Korn Ferry. Veterans participating in the program will be led through three months of coaching, instruction, lectures, assessments and group exercises. Sounds a bit like basic training. 

Now entering its fourth year, the program has assisted more than 250 servicemembers of all military branches. Retired Army Col. Robert Fagan called it a monumental experience. 

"Most military transition courses start with the action plan in mind, such as resumes, networking and LinkedIn profiles," said Fagan in a news release. "This program takes you through the journey to self-exploration and self-awareness that allows you to develop a vision and a strategy, thereby making your transition more purposeful, meaningful and focused." 

Leadership programs like that on offer from Korn Ferry and Harris Corp. are part of a country-wide effort to recruit veterans for civilian jobs. The Columbus Dispatch reported that overall unemployment for veterans over 18 years old is at 4.3 percent, well below the national average. 

Companies like Prudential, which has had a veterans hiring office since 2010, have played a big part in providing employment opportunities to veterans and their families. 

"Veterans bring significant value to the workforce, including practiced leadership skills, discipline, the ability to perform in stressful situations and a solid work ethic," said Chuck Sevola, a former Army officer and current head of Prudential's Office of Veterans Initiatives. 

"We recognize the sacrifices made every day by these men and women," said Sevola, "and believe their experience and leadership can only make our company stronger." 

The housing rental market has been shown over the years to have a lot of discriminatory practices in it, most often against minorities or people with lower incomes. However, another group that has been unfairly targeted more recently is veterans, and now Chicago is moving to do something about it.

The Chicago City Council's Committee on Human Relations recently signed off on a mayoral ordinance that protects current and former military servicemembers against discriminatory practices from both landlords and employers, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times. As such, they are now the 17th "protected" group under city law.

"Some veterans have been denied jobs by employers who are afraid that the applicant may have post-traumatic stress disorder and fear that they might react violently in the workplace," Mona Noriega, chairwoman and commissioner of Chicago's Commission on Human Relations, told the newspaper.

Veterans who have run into difficulty finding housing for these or other reasons might want to talk to local officials to determine whether these problems have come about fairly, and perhaps also seek the help of private nonprofit organizations. That kind of assistance may prove to be a boon to those who need reasonable housing options as soon as possible.

An understanding of military culture is essential for health care systems and providers to effectively care for veterans and their families, a new University at Buffalo study found.

According to the UB Reporter, the university's official newspaper, the study – first published in the journal Military Behavioral Health – suggested that both health and mental health care providers should be given training that would provide them with a basic understanding of military values and belief systems. Just as important, this training would shed light on how veterans personally transition into their life after service. 

The University at Buffalo's study is one of the very first to discuss how health care professionals must address the unique challenges facing military families, from deployment difficulties to those obstacles faced after a discharge, when veterans must look for civilian employment. 

"The military is a unique institution, with its own structure, terminology, and culture, and military service is often a profound experience that changes the servicemember's identity, and his/her assumptions and expectations about the world," Lisa Butler, an associate professor in the university's School of Social Work and an author of the paper, told HealthCareBusiness News. 

"All these factors can present challenges to providers and systems of care if they don't ask about a military service history and don't know how to incorporate that information into the care they provide," Butler continued. 

Four different focus groups – two male veterans groups, one female group and one group of military family members – were asked by researchers to explain their health care experiences in depth, with particular emphasis given to those areas perceived to be lacking. 

"Just as you want to be culturally competent working with any population, with veterans it is particularly important because they may shut you out if they suspect a lack of understanding. They'll walk away," Butler told the UB Reporter. "Providers who bring military/veteran cultural competence to their interactions with veterans have the potential to enhance outcomes and increase quality of care." 

Each year, many veterans may end up seeking new ID cards but find that it is a difficult and slow process to complete. Now, though, a federal lawmaker from the state of Florida is pushing to speed up the process of issuing ID cards to veterans, following a law that was passed several months ago.

On July 20, President Barack Obama signed the Veterans Identification Card Act – which passed both houses of Congress with unanimous support – into law, according to a report from the Miami Herald. But now, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican representing Florida who sponsored the bill in the first place, says the federal government isn't doing enough to make sure that the strictures of the law are being followed.

Currently, military veterans are often required to show their DD-214 forms, but this law is supposed to just create a universal veterans ID card to replace it, the report said. However, now the VA seems to be preparing to only issue these cards starting in 2017, and Buchanan is not happy with that news. Data suggests that DD-214 forms put veterans at greater risk of identity theft, and that these documents are stolen twice as often as normal ID.

"I could fly to Mars and back quicker than it takes them to publish these cards," Buchanan told the newspaper. "I kind of expected between six and 10 months, and now they're telling me it's another year. It's just not right."

The more federal lawmakers can do to reduce the risks and increase the convenience veterans feel in their everyday lives, the better off those former servicemembers are likely to be going forward. Fortunately, it seems that this kind of help is becoming more of a priority for many legislators these days.

There are many things that veterans may need help with in their everyday lives, and during filing season, that may often include assistance filling out all their tax forms. Fortunately, these complicated and necessary documents can be completed with help from financial experts in Ohio, free of charge.

The Military Veterans Resource Center in Huber Heights recently announced that it had partnered with Ohio Benefit Bank to give most veterans help with their taxes this year, according to a report from Dayton television station WHIO. Through this effort, veterans who make less than $95,000 (for couples filing jointly) or $65,000 (for everyone else) will get the help at the MVRC's building through April 18.

To qualify, veterans will have to bring a photo ID, evidence of their military service, and their tax documents of course, the report said. Those looking to tap this resource, though, will need to make an appointment first.

This kind of service may provide an invaluable benefit to former servicemembers who may not have the best grasp on how to deal with their tax filings in and of themselves, or have the money to get them done professionally. Likewise, other services may exist to help them better deal with any potential issues they may face in the course of their everyday lives.

For this reason, the more that can be done to ensure veterans are getting complete access to the various services they may need, the better off they may end up being when it comes to getting any sort of assistance that may be helpful to them. Many organizations exist to help veterans with things from the mundane to the extremely important, and often all they have to do is reach out.

One of the big issues that many veterans often face in their daily lives is that they might not have the means to get to all their appointments, especially when it comes to doctor's visits. Now, thanks to the VA, that won't be a problem for veterans living north of Dallas.

The VA just gave a van worth $100,000 to the Sam Rayborn Memorial Veteran's Center in Bonham, Texas – about 90 minutes outside Dallas – to help shuttle veterans to their medical appointments, according to a report from the Durant Democrat. The van will pick veterans up at their homes as many as five days per week, providing crucial access to medical care for those who may desperately need it.

"We are tickled that we have this van now," Don Pappin, a veteran who served in three separate branches of the military and now works to get veterans transportation just like this, told the newspaper. "We've already got an individual we are supposed to pick up in Bennington tomorrow."

The more that can be done to help veterans in the course of their daily lives, the better off those lives are going to be in the future.

With the effort to drastically reduce veteran homelessness, and eventually eliminate it, now seriously under way, many cities can boast of expanded capacity to permanently house former servicemembers who are currently living on the street. This is certainly true in Los Angeles, where the VA recently announced plans to renovate nearly 2,000 units on a long-neglected site.

The VA has a campus in West L.A. that hasn't been used much, but could soon be home to 1,200 units of permanent housing, plus 700 more for short-term use by homeless vets, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. That would be in addition to assistance for disabled veterans living in the permanent units, a cafe, a fitness center, and other facilities that can improve the quality of life there.

However, the deal has only been proposed, and because it is through the VA, it would require the federal government to sign off before work could even start, the report said. In addition, the VA would also have to partner with nonprofit developers to build the units, and probably also do some fundraising to help pay for it.

However, if and when this is completed, it would likely be a boon to many homeless vets in Southern California.

Many cities are trying to tackle a number of problems facing veterans today, and having varying levels of success in doing so. Now, the city of Cincinnati is planning to get more involved in that sort of effort by partnering with dozens of other large cities across the country.

Cincinnati will join the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative, a group of 53 cities nationwide in which an "economic liaison" will work to create a network of organizations to help veterans get education and employment, according to a report from Cincinnati television station WCPO. The initiative was originally launched last year after the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs wanted to extend the VA's reach in local communities.

"Our veterans and military servicemembers have given so much and sacrificed to help our city and our nation over the years," said Cincinnati mayor John Cranley, according to the station. "This new initiative is one way in which we can give our thanks and help make sure they and their families have the resources they need to lead rewarding and productive lives."

Cincinnati was chosen to participate in the program because of its veteran population, local unemployment rates for those former servicemembers, and the expected rate at which its veteran population will grow in the future, the report said. Other cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and St. Louis are also heavily involved.

This may be good news to veterans across the country who continue to struggle in their search for employment after they finish their service. The organizations that are now getting involved will likely go a long way toward helping servicemembers get the support they need as they try to embark on a fulfilling civilian life once again.

With veteran homelessness now recognized nationwide as an issue that can be solved more easily than many experts previously thought, a lot of state and local governments are starting to do more to deal with it straightaway. That includes Minnesota, where a new initiative has been launched to handle this problem quickly and easily.

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it will organize a Veteran Rapid Response Team to deal with any former servicemembers living on the streets who are identified in a one-day, state-wide count, according to a report from the MDVA. The hope is that this outreach effort can effectively end veteran homelessness within the Land of 10,000 Lakes in much the same way several cities and at least a few states have as well.

Once identified, these homeless vets will be paired with social workers to get them registered and work up a personalized plan for housing them, the report said. Usually, this sort of effort will get any veteran with their own unique plan into a permanent housing situation within four months or so. In addition to trying to track veteran homelessness through the one-day, state-wide count, the MDVA is also asking anyone who knows a homeless veteran to call its hotline at 1-888-Link-Vet.

"Having a housing plan is key," said Eric Grumdahl, who serves as special advisor on ending veteran homelessness for MDVA and the Minnesota Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. "Homelessness is a problem that we can solve. The best, most lasting solutions are personalized for each individual or family experiencing homelessness."

Veterans who are dealing with unstable housing situations may want to do some research into the ways in which programs such as these may be able to help them, because even the threat of homelessness can have a major negative impact on their lives.