Veterans should know that coming to WorkSource Spokane isn’t always about employment. Trish, a homeless Veteran, wasn’t ready for employment when she first arrived at WorkSource. She had spent nearly three years hitchhiking to Spokane from Florida. She experienced very unsafe situations and trauma during that harrowing experience, which was compounded by trauma she had experienced in the military. She had also lost trust in the VA system after asking for their help in Florida but not receiving assistance.
Unbeknownst to Trish, the VA had awarded her a pension but had not been able to contact her due to her homelessness. After three years, her pension had accumulated a substantial amount. With the WorkSource Vets team’s encouragement, understanding, and ability to build trust, Trish was willing to let them reconnect her to the VA system. She was able to access her pension funds which immediately got her out of her homeless situation and renewed her trust in the Veteran services she’d earned through her honorable service.
Whatever the struggles a Veteran is facing, Veteran representatives at WorkSource are familiar with all the community resources. We highlight many of these resources in our WorkSource Services for Veterans workshop, always held on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month at 9:30 AM at 130 S. Arthur St in Spokane.