Success Story: Helping A Veteran In Need

With teamwork and assistance from members of South Bend WorkOne’s veteran staff, career advising and training teams, a recently unemployed homeless veteran is now employed full-time with benefits and transportation assistance.

After Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialist Daniel Reed and Local Veteran Employment Representative (LVER) Trey Washington conducted an outreach at Miller’s Vets shelter in South Bend, one of the veteran residents came to the WorkOne office and met with an Academic-Career Counselor. The Career Counselor assisted the customer with registering in IndianaCareerConnect.com and upon identifying him as a veteran with significant barriers to employment (SBE), he referred to the veteran to DVOP Reed. The veteran shared that he had no transportation and being unemployed had no funds for public transportation. Reed then collaborated with Gwendolyn Williams, a case manager; he was enrolled into the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act/WIOA program, given a bit of guidance/counseling and supportive services (Williams was able to secure bus passes for the veteran).