Employees from the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Office for Veterans’ Workforce Development will offer free employment and training assistance to veterans during the “Stand Down 2013” event to be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. September 20 on the grounds of the State Veterans Home, 287 West Street, Rocky Hill.
Veterans can register and access free transportation information online at www.ctvets.org or www.ct.gov/ctva, or by calling 860 – 616-3802 for this free event. Organized by the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs, more than 30 government and private agencies are expected to participate to provide veterans with housing referrals, educational, legal and motor vehicle assistance, state and federal VA benefit information, medical, dental and mental health screenings, and clothing.
Veterans are asked to arrive by noon to access services. Buses will leave pick up locations between 6 and 7:30 a.m. throughout the state, including Bridgeport, Bristol, Danbury, Danielson, Derby, East Hartford, Ellington, Enfield, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, Middletown, Milford, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Newington, Norwalk, Norwich, Stamford, Terryville/Plymouth, Torrington, Vernon/Rockville, Suffield, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Westport and Willimantic.
Connecticut Department of Labor’s Office of Veterans’ Workforce Development representatives will provide help with online job searches and résumés reviews, and will be available to answer questions, provide advice and offer resource information to help veterans find employment.
“An estimated 200,000 veterans in the United States are homeless, representing 25 to 30 percent of the nation’s total homeless population,” said Terry Brennan, Director of the Office of Veterans’ Workforce Development at the Department of Labor.
“Getting back into the workforce is a very important step in terms of getting our veterans back on their feet,” Brennan added. “Our Department of Labor staff is quite experienced in helping our brothers and sisters who are dealing with such issues as homelessness or coping with stress-related disabilities. They will be more than happy to work with Stand Down attendees to help provide them with the tools they need in order to assist them with their employment and training needs.”
State Veterans’ Home gates will open at 7 a.m. for this year’s Stand Down. Last year, more than 1,200 Connecticut veterans attended this event.