David, a Navy veteran of the first Gulf War, found himself homeless after losing his job and going through a divorce. The father of two was staying at a homeless shelter in Fremont, Ohio when he turned to WSOS Community Action for help.
WSOS is one of six pilot Community Action Agencies in Ohio participating in the Ohio Vocation, Education, Training & Services (VETS) program that offers education and training to assist veterans in finding meaningful employment at a living wage, and providing them and their families with other supportive services to help them attain self-sufficiency.
David had a background in manufacturing and through the Ohio VETS program, WSOS was able to help him find a good job at an auto parts manufacturing plant. “He’s doing fantastic,” Ken Sayre, veteran’s family advocate with WSOS said. “We have set him up to succeed. He was very motivated, he just needed to be led down the right path.”
WSOS also set David up with short-term housing. Through that program, David will receive assistance with the rent for a short time, until he is financially ready to take over the payments. “Now that David is in a stable environment, he is able to see his kids again,” Ken explained. “It was so great to see the look on his face when they were reunited.”
There are 60,791 veterans living in poverty in Ohio, and 10 percent of all homeless Ohioans are veterans. Programs like Ohio VETS can help our local heroes live happy, healthy and productive lives, just like it helped David.