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SANDY — Many Utah veterans still struggle to find good jobs, while others brace for another winter living on the streets. Veterans of both kinds got community support Friday and resources to help them out.
After a decade of war, too many of America's fighting men and women discover they can't find jobs when they get out of the service. Unemployment among vets is 3 percent higher than the regular population, and among those 19 to 26 years old it's significantly higher.
Even worse, approximately 1,600 Utah vets are homeless, and on any given night more than 300 sleep on the streets.
- Unemployment among U.S. veterans is 3 percent higher than the regular population.
- Unemployment among U.S. veterans age 19 to 26 years old it's significantly higher than other veterans.
- Approximately 1,600 Utah vets are homeless; more than 300 of them sleep on the streets each night.
"You can't describe it, you have to live it to see," said James Edwards, a homeless Marine Corps veteran.
Edwards said he dreads the onset of cold weather. "During the summer you can make it. But during the winter it's extremely hard," he said.
Friday, he joined hundreds of other vets for the Homeless Stand Down at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City. He picked out a warm jacket, socks, boots, and other winter necessities.
Thomas Glasby is a homeless veteran who's lived on the streets on and off for the last five years. "The help that they're giving us is just awesome," he said.
Fortunately, the number of homeless vets is declining.
"The funding and the appropriations from Congress have increased to the point where now we have the resources to combat the problem effectively," said Lance Fromm, the VA's Homeless Program liaison.
Meanwhile in Sandy Friday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce helped put on a Hiring our Heroes job fair.
- Boise, Idaho
Date: November 9, 2011
Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location: Courtyard by Marriott Boise West/Meridian
CLICK HERE to register - Tuscon, Arizona
Date: November 17, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Desert Diamond Casino and Resort
CLICK HERE to register - Fort Carson, Colorado
Date: December 7, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PMLocation: Doubletree by Hilton Hotels, Colorado Springs
CLICK HERE to register
"These are people who are talented, civic assets who should be working in the private sector, and so we're trying to help them make that happen," said Ross Cohen, a former U.S. Army paratrooper who heads up the program for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Cohen's group is pledging to organize 100 of these job fairs across the country in the next 12 months. Already, they've helped nearly 3,000 vets land good jobs.
But it's a challenge for many veterans like Carl Jones, who expected he'd have good opportunities when he retired more than two years ago. In Afghanistan, he ran five mess halls and a prison.
"It's real frustrating," Jones said. "When you look at your bills every month, and you scrounge to find the money to pay them and still put food on the table, I'm pretty irritated about it."
But Jones is optimistic his experience will pay off. "Everybody looks for that degree, or that piece of paper," he said. "But veterans, they have many skills beyond recognition."
"Veterans are talented, trained individuals who have extraordinary skills working in teams, problem solving and doing it all under very intense deadlines," Cohen said.
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Written by Jed Boal with contributions from Paul Nelson
