A Veteran Gives Back to the Community

A down and out Veteran was informed he had been given full-time employment as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist with the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) beginning in May.  However, on the day he was informed of his new job, he was still a patient with CWT, serving coffee to his fellow Veterans and future co-workers. The Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program is a comprehensive rehabilitation program that prepares Veterans for competitive employment and independent living. It utilizes a realistic work environment at SAVAHCS to promote achievement of these objects. While participating in the program, he was already setting an example for fellow Veterans at his coffee cart.  “He keeps that cart so clean, I think he irons the dollar bills every day before closing the register,” another Veteran in the CWT program stated.

His motivation to work hard emerged out of several years of hard living. He met with Health-Care for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) representative at the prison who made him aware of the services available to him at SAVAHCS. These services included Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), a program designed to assist Homeless Veterans in regaining community membership by providing services for basic needs and referrals to supportive programs that help Veterans return to independent living. The HCHV program was an important starting point for him, as he acknowledged it was a hard adjustment being on the outside after a being in prison. “It has taken me a long time to get used to it,” he said, but added: “I made up my mind to change.”

Following his intake with the HCHV program, he was able to obtain transitional housing with the Grant & Per Diem Program. The Grant & Per Diem program at SAVAHCS provides transitional, supportive housing to help Homeless Veterans improve skills and their well-being as they return to independent living. During his seven months in transitional housing, he obtained his first position with the CWT program, as a groundskeeper.  While he maintained the grounds at SAVAHCS, he obtained housing with the Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. The HUD-VASH Program combines HUD Housing for Homeless Veterans with Case Management and clinical services provided by SAVAHCS at its medical centers and in the community. His participation in the HUD-VASH program enabled him to move into his own apartment for the first time in over a decade.  “It was strange at first, a little too quiet,” He stated, “But it was great being independent again”

He discovered that the independence of permanent, stable housing with support of a case manager created a foundation for him to take on other life challenges. Midway through his time with the CWT program, he made a dramatic change from spreading gravel and trimming trees to brewing coffee and operating an espresso machine. He found the only common thread in his work was the service he provided to fellow Veterans. Now he plans to continue serving his fellow Veterans once he begins his new position providing job development and placement for homeless Veterans. He stated he wouldn’t have reached this point in his life without the staff involved in all of the SAVAHCS programs that have assisted him.  “They are such caring people and they did a lot for me,” he said. Now, in his new full-time position at SAVAHCS, he is looking forward to giving back to help his fellow Veterans.