Ohio vets get back to work

Ohio vets get back to work Ohio vets are helping fellow vets find jobs. The unemployment rate among Ohio veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is 15 percent. For younger vets – 18-to-24 – it’s even higher. One out of every five don’t have jobs. Efforts to change that are increasingly relying on veterans themselves.

Gunnery Sgt. Bryan McGown retired from the Marines more than 10 years ago. In November, he took a volunteer position through AmeriCorps at the AMVETS Career Center in Cleveland. He counsels vets and connects them with the training they need and employers willing to hire them. “There really is a clear path to their self-sufficiency and success,” says McGowan, “… and so many people get dejected when they see the news and see the unemployment rates so high. I just feel I can bring some calm to that.” McGown retired only days before the Sept. 11th attacks,after 20 years in the Corps. After retirement, he spent five years as a welfare worker in Pennsylvania, and then moved back to Ohio in 2008 to work with the V.A. Where the need is greatest Before McGowan established an office at the Cuyahoga County Veteran’s Service Commission, no one held the position for two years. In contrast, Summit County has four AMVETS Career Center volunteers serving half as many veterans. McGown says returning veterans can be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and basic difficulty adjusting to civilian life. His role is to bridge that gap. “We need to find a way to re-train these individuals who are dealing with those kinds of stressors and issues,” says McGowan, “and we need employers who are going to be sensitive to that, and compassionate, and willing to take on that challenge and repay the debt that they’ve earned from these veterans’ service.” A broader array of services Portage County’s Family and Community Services operates Freedom House, a veteran’s homeless shelter located in Kent. Three years ago, the organization started a nonprofit business to help vets transition back into the civilian workforce. What began with two push mowers has become Freedom Lawn Care. The business specializes in lawn-mowing and snow removal and hires only Freedom House residents – past and present. Brian White and Will Berry of Kent run it. Both are Army vets who served in Iraq. Berry was ordered to do community service three years ago after he was convicted on a domestic violence charge. He chose Freedom House so he could work with vets. “What we provide here is a quality job reference; … it’s almost like a vocational rehab,” says Berry.  “At the same time, it’s not a job for someone to stay in for 20 years – one of our vets – because we want to get them out there with some actual job experience.” Making it His partner, White, was hired at Gojo Industries when he returned from Iraq in 2010. After being laid off due to the economy, he volunteered at Freedom House for the summer -- and has not left. White and Berry say they empathize with other vets who need time and understanding to get back into a routine and become comfortable in the social aspects of a  work environment. Freedom Lawn Care now employs as many as 10 vets in the summer, and White expects that to continue to grow. “I don’t see why it couldn’t be one of the biggest in Northeast Ohio, employing veterans,” says White. “… I think it’s one of the last businesses where you necessarily don’t have to have a college degree and you can still make it in life.” And “making it” is what McGowan,White and Berry want for their fellow vets. Taking care of each other, they say, is part of their military training. Resources for Vets Job Banks GI jobs http://www.gijobs.com/ National Resource Directory Job Bank https://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/jobSearch/index Job Bank for Disabled American Veterans https://www.jofdav.com/ Federal job openings for veterans http://www.fedshirevets.gov/ Jobs in Ohio for veterans http://ohiovetscan.com/ Jobs for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans http://iava.org/ Hero to Hired https://h2h.jobs/ Hiring our Heroes http://www.uschamber.com/veterans Milicruit http://www.veteranscareerfair.com/ Jobs for Military Spouses http://www.msepjobs.com/ State Jobs, www.ohiomeansjobs.com Additional Government jobs, www.governmentjobs.com Department of Labor: Includes the Gold Card program, ebenefits, Veterans Job bank (Enter keywords, your MOS/MOC and/or location on the left to begin your job search), and My Next Move. http://www.dol.gov/vets/index.htm Veterans Service Commissions: Every county in Ohio has a Veterans Services Commission that can help clients directly or refer them to appropriate social agencies. They provide transporationo for medical appointments and make referrals for issues related to housing, legal issues, physical/mental health, financial planning, credit and budget planning, and employment. http://vsc.cuyahogacounty.us/default.htm http://www.co.portage.oh.us/veterans.htm http://www.vscsummitoh.us/ http://www.co.stark.oh.us/internet/home.DisplayPage?v_page=Veterans_aboutUs http://www.medinacountyveteransserviceoffice.org/ http://loraincountyveterans.com/ http://www.mahoningcountyoh.gov/tabid/805/default.aspx Veterans Administration: Vet Centers Employment counseling and other services, with locations in Cleveland, Maple Heights, Parma, Canton, and Toledo http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/ Official site for the GI Bill :education and training for vets http://www.gibill.va.gov/                                                                              http://www.ohiohighered.org/veterans VA site – resources for OEF/OIF veterans http://www.oefoif.va.gov/ VetSuccess Vocational Rehabilitation Program http://www.vetsuccess.gov/ http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ Resources for vets starting a business http://www.asbdc-us.org/Resources/VeteranRelated.html Vetbiz – program to help vets start their own businesses http://www.vetbiz.gov/ Ohio Department of Veterans Services The ODVS exists to assist the 88 county Veterans Services Commissions and provides little direct support to veterans 1-877-OHIO-VET, http://dvs.ohio.gov/  U.S Army Employment services for disabled veterans, http://cap.mil/PublicationsForms/employment.aspx Resources for employers AMVets Career Center Contact Bryan McGown if you have job opportunites for veterans in Cuyahoga County (216) 698-2606,  bryan.mcgown@amvetscareercenter.org,www.amvetscareercenter.org National Resource Directory List your company and job openings, https://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/home/instructions_for_employer_participation The VOW to Hire Heroes Act (November 2011) provides job training for service members and provides a tax credit of up to $9,600 to companies hiring unemployed veterans,http://veterans.house.gov/vow