Successful Outreach Strategies for Veterans

It can be difficult for service providers to connect to groups of people we describe as “Hard-to-Reach” populations. Recently we have been researching outreach strategies for veterans, because of the large number of veterans in need who are eligible for benefits but are not receiving them.

Many of the veterans we have interviewed feel that there is a strong social stigma against applying for benefits, especially if their peers and social circle are aware. Unfortunately, these stigmas can often lead to associating the act of asking for help with a sense of failure. Often, attempts are made to outreach to veterans through bringing them together with their fellow veterans at social events combined with benefits fairs. However, we have observed that this approach actually leaves veterans feeling uncomfortable and more hesitant to seek out information.

 Our experiences and research have highlighted two key ideas that have proven successful for outreach to veterans:

One thing that has come up time and time again in our interviews with veterans was the importance that the information comes from people they trust. The VA Rural Veterans Outreach Toolkit  recommends developing community liaisons—individuals from within the veteran’s social circle who can be recruited to advocate for the use of these programs—when planning outreach to veterans. Bringing friends and family members on board creates an environment that is more hospitable to veterans and sparks a more welcoming and accepting attitude toward benefits.

Although many younger veterans are hesitant to apply for benefits, most are extremely comfortable with Internet technology. Many young veterans become more interested in applying for benefits when they discover they can complete and submit the applications themselves online.

We believe that combining these two practices — recruiting members of the community to help spread information, and focusing on programs like Self-Serve with younger veterans — will help increase the percentage of eligible veterans who apply for benefits.

How are you connecting to veterans in your community? If you would like to share any successful strategies or tools regarding your efforts, or participate in our survey, please let us know! Email me at tdavis@ohiofoodbanks.org or leave a comment here.    

Stand Down for veterans: CACEHR Knows How to Reach Out!

Over the past few weeks The Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express has had the opportunity to work with one of our favorite partners, the Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron, and Richland Counties (CACEHR). Recently CACEHR has organized several “Stand Down” resource fairs for homeless veterans in both Huron and Richland Counties.

Both Richland and Huron County chapters worked extremely hard to put together these events to provide an opportunity for their clients to become connected to a large number of service providers and employers. These events were an opportunity for their organization to help veterans in need, but also to show respect and appreciation for their service. 

CACEHR's Richland County chapter in particular used several strategies to advertise this event to both local social service providers and to clients, but one of their most effective was to reach out and enlist the aid of key community figures. According to the Rural Veterans Outreach Toolkit, a package created by the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center, one of the most effective ways to generate interest in veterans and other hard-to-reach populations is to be associated with influential and trusted members of the local area. It is also an effective strategy to help with the recruitment of other partners. In this case, CACEHR reached out to Mansfield City Mayor Timothy L. Theaker who became one of the event’s most vocal supporters. In a short speech addressed to the veterans being served at the event, Mayor Theaker expressed his gratitude towards the service and sacrifices of the veterans in his community, and expressed a strong desire to help those who had served get back on their feet.

Thanks to CACEHR a great number of veterans in multiple counties were able to connect to some fantastic resources, and we will look forward to their next event!

Photo caption: Representatives from local community resources set up their tables for the Stand Down event in Richland County.

Interview with a Veteran

Recently, we were at a Stand Down (a service fair for veterans) in Huron County, where we were able to interview several different veterans over the course of the day. Two of them really stood out to me because they highlight just how large a spectrum of experiences the word “veteran” can cover.

John

“John” (pseudonym) is a 28-year-old veteran who served in the Special Forces, where he was injured and honorably discharged. Ever since he returned home, things haven’t been easy. The depressed economy has made it nearly impossible to find steady work, especially with the partially disabling injuries he received in the service. Having a large family—a household of five—has only made things more difficult as both parents struggle to balance raising their children with providing for them. John was already accessing some of the benefits for which he was eligible. Medicaid had allowed him to provide health insurance for his children, and SNAP made it possible for him to help continue to feed his family. When we spoke, he hadn’t applied for HEAP and PIPP, which he plans to do now using OBB Self-Serve. John acknowledged that he could potentially get a better job if he went to college, but he was hoping to be able to find enough work to avoid this because he wanted to pass his education credit onto his youngest daughter, hoping to give her a better start.

Earl

“Earl” is a veteran of the Vietnam War in his early 70’s. Until the past few years he had done quite well for himself, holding a steady job and making investments to help supplement his anticipated retirement. In his early 60’s Earl suffered from a series of severe illnesses commonly linked to exposure to Agent Orange, and was forced to retire earlier than he had planned. Then, his retirement packages lost significant value during the recession, leaving Earl and his wife struggling to make ends meet. Earl was eligible for SSDI due to the nature of his illnesses, which has been a great help to them over the past few years. When we spoke, Earl was just over income to be eligible for food assistance, but he was income eligible for HEAP, and he planned to visit a local OBB site to apply. Still, his retirement has not been anything like what he had expected, and he expressed concern about the uncertainty of how the next big change – the Affordable Care Act – will affect him. Earl remains nervous about what the future might hold.

Stories of veterans struggling to get by are unfortunately far too common, and veterans of long past wars as well as recent ones are both affected. These stories drive home the importance of the benefits that the OBB helps individuals access, because these benefits provide a little bit of stability in a fast changing world. 

Veterans Mobile Health Unit: a VA outside the walls

We recently had the opportunity to team up with the Veterans Mobile Health Unit, a mobile extension of the Cincinnati Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, for a resource fair in the Woodlawn area of Cincinnati. As a VA, the medical center offers a wide range of services for veterans: from allergy relief to drug and alcohol addiction services. It’s an awesome resource for veterans in the downtown area— but what about vets who live elsewhere in the city or those with barriers to transportation?

VA Mobile Unit and sign. (photo by Daniel Hansen)

The Veterans Mobile Unit is a convenient way for veterans to access VA healthcare and have their medical record established. Community leaders planning events for veterans in the Cincinnati area can request the mobile unit to participate in their events. To do so, simply contact Christine Royer at Christine.Royer@va.gov.

Interested in this service provider but not in the Cincinnati area? Click here for more information about a Dayton area mobile unit.

A Helping Hand

As part of its initiative to better serve Ohioans in need The Ohio Benefit Bank™ Mobile Express is currently studying the best ways to reach out to some of our most underserved populations, with a special focus on Ohio’s seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.  One of the ways we are hoping to learn more about these particular groups is through a state wide survey that, in order to promote accessibility, will be conducted through email, phone, mail, and direct participation.

We need your help to be successful! 

Do you or your organization have any contact with seniors, veterans, or people living with disabilities, especially those that are well connected to others in their own communities?    Would you be willing to help us enroll them in a study that will help you better connect to underserved populations in your area?  If so, please contact Tyler Davis at (614) 915-2038 or through email at tdavis@ohiofoodbanks.org for more information regarding this project!

Season Opener at the Work Station

E-filing is officially open, and tax season is officially underway! The Mobile Express celebrated the opening of the e-file portals by heading over to a tax clinic at The Work Station in The Plains in Athens County.  

Thanks to John Tyma and the staff at The Work Station, we had a fantastic clinic and were able to help 19 separate households file their state and federal income taxes. Our first submissions were a part of the flood of applications that hit the IRS portal upon its initial opening at 9:30 am.

The Work Station is a great community resource for people living in the Athens County area, offering free resume building, computer literacy classes, employment training and much more.  Additionally, The Work Station has a special focus on veterans, a connection that was reflected in John’s fantastic outreach efforts to veterans within the local community. It was thanks to these efforts that we had such a great turnout, and we can’t wait to return for another tax clinic in the near future!  

New Look, New Focus, Same Services

Along with the new look, The Ohio Benefit Bank Mobile Express will also be working to upgrade its ability to support the OBB network! 

As you all know, the OBB Mobile Express functions like a full-service OBB site and is available to attend various events and provide OBB enrollment services. The Mobile Express comes complete with two highly trained OBB counselors and all of the technology necessary to use the OBB, including satellite Internet access.

In an effort to better support the OBB network as a whole, the Mobile Express will now be focusing on attending events that will target specific populations, including seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.  These populations often face unique barriers to accessing and utilizing benefits, so service providers have to work smarter to help.  The Mobile Express team will identify effective strategies and share them with the OBB network.

If you are planning an event that will reach out to populations including seniors, veterans, or people living with disabilities, please fill out the OBB Mobile Express Request for Participation found at www.ohiofoodbanks.org.  If you have any questions, or if you are not sure if your event fits, please contact Tyler Davis – tdavis@ohiofoodbanks.org.