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OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties has been selected as the recipient of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services 2017 Veterans Ohio Network for Employment (Vets O.N.E.) Incentive Award. This $50,000 award is given annually to an OhioMeansJobs Center or Workforce Area that provides extraordinary and commendable service, and improves service delivery to Ohio veterans.
Criteria for selection includes efforts at providing employment and training services to veterans and other eligible persons, and demonstrating that they directly affect a single veteran or category of veterans such as special disabled veterans. In addition, exceptional services provided to hard-to-serve veterans, such as homeless veterans, is taken into consideration.
These incentive funds are to be donated on behalf of an OhioMeansJobs Center or Workforce Area to 501c3 non-profit organizations that provide services to veterans and their families. As a result, OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties has donated $40,000 to SAM Center (Serving Area Military, Veterans and Widows) of Massillon, and $10,000 to Stable Support Services (Stable Solutions) of Alliance. Both organizations serve Stark and Tuscarawas county residents.
SAM Center is a volunteer community of veterans and military supporters helping each other. It was founded in 2015 with the mission to better the lives of service members, veterans and their widows. The center collaborates with other community agencies to ensure programs aren’t being duplicated, while the gap in assistance is being filled.
Stable Solutions is a military services program that provides individualized programming for veterans, active military and their families through equine therapy. Their mission is to improve mental health, promote personal development, utilizing experiential activities in a non-traditional setting, led by licensed mental health professionals.
In announcing the performance incentive award, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said “the perseverance, dedication and innovative thinking of the OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties staff has positively impacted Ohio’s veterans and their families.”
“OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties staff and partner agencies assist our veteran customers each and every day with their employment, education and training, financial literacy and community resource needs. Our staff and partners are truly dedicated, going above and beyond, to serve our veteran customers and their families,” said JoAnn Breedlove, COO for OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties.
OhioMeans Jobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties served 10,314 individual customers resulting in 35,184 visits during program year 2016. As a system, 37% of individual customers were new customers, with roughly 6% of those identified as veterans. In 2015, OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties served 785 veterans. In 2016 service to veterans increased approximately 9 percent with 852 being served.
The most notable improvement to veteran services regarding partner collaboration is the success of incorporating financial coaching within the center. Financial coaching is being provided both by the United Way Financial Prosperity Center and the Transitioning Veterans Financial Coach housed in the OhioMeansJobs Stark County center.
Provided through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the OhioMeansJobs Stark County center has hosted a full-time Transitioning Veterans Financial Coach tasked with assisting veterans with financial coaching service needs since June 2015. In addition to Stark and Tuscarawas counties, the financial coach provides services to surrounding counties as needed. Only 40 coaches nationwide are providing these services at American Job Centers.
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Strengthening Stark Database