SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio veterans program is getting half a million dollars to help soldiers get off the street and find new jobs. U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary James Rodriguez joined Congressman Henry Cuellar at the American GI Forum Residential Center Thursday to announce the new funding.
The grant comes from the federal Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program and actually provides $1.5 Million for veterans across Texas. That includes $500,000 each for American GI Forum programs in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth.
American GI Forum CEO Sergio Dickerson said Thursday their San Antonio facility provides transitional housing for up to 80 people and takes a job-focused approach to getting veterans off the street.
"We get them off the street, clean them up, and have a place for them to live. We regiment the time line. We make sure they get up early in the morning. We instruct them on how they need to look, how they need to do an interview. Many of these veterans have been on the street for many years," Dickerson said.
Dickerson also said the program also provides drug rehab and re-education services as well as clothing. The goal is to get the veteran a job and eventually use that income to pay for a place to live. He said the program will help ease them into that process.
"We pay for that for a period of time until their income is well enough that we can take them off the grant," Dickerson said. "Once you get a person housed you need to employee them. Otherwise how are they going to pay for that housing."
Marine Veteran Zahu Henry, who served in the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, told KENS 5 the program has already helped him work though mental health issues. Henry is in the process of finding employment and participated in a round table discussion with Cuellar and other lawmakers on Tuesday.
"Sometimes you are in a very tough situation and you have to compartmentalize personal things going on with you. That works for a limited amount of time. When you are dealing with PTSD, the longer you wait to deal with it the worse that becomes. All of a sudden all these things come at you and it becomes overwhelming," Henry said.
The marine veteran said the program is currently helping him with housing and he's already seen it work for plenty of other veterans.
"They have promised these things and then they have put people to work, put people in housing, changed lives and helped people from not having an education to having an education. They have done those things," Henry said. "This is the place you want to put your money, because it is going to go to the appropriate place and help veterans."
Cuellar's office said the grant money is already available to the American GI Forum to use.