Military Supports

Veteran's Services Commission of Putnam County 336 E. Main Street, Suite A, Ottawa, Ohio 45875 419-523-4478 pcvsc.org

The Putnam County Veterans Service Commission is a county agency dedicated to providing assistance to Veterans, and their families in time of need. We encourage all Veterans from every era to contact the office and see what benefits they are eligible for.

Ohio is the only state that provides such comprehensive support and services to its veterans. Each of the 88 counties in Ohio has a board of five appointed commissioners who administer the program for their respective county.

American Red Cross - Help for Military Families www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/military-families.html r

The Red Cross helps members of the military, veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to, the challenges of military service.

This program provides:

Information and Referral Services:
- Emergency Communications:
  - You can initiate a request for Red Cross emergency assistance for members of the military currently serving on active duty by using the online self-service tool. Using a computer, smartphone or tablet, you can start a request for services and track its progress from anywhere in the world. To speak to a Red Cross Emergency Communications Specialist call: 1-877-272-7337
- Deployment Services:
  - Coping with Deployment Course: Spouses, parents, siblings and significant others learn skill-building techniques that help them respond to the challenges of the deployment cycle.
  - Pre-Deployment Preparedness Tool for Family Members: Preparing for deployment can be stressful, both for the service member who is leaving and also for the family members who will stay behind. The American Red Cross offers this overview of practical matters you may want to discuss with your service member before he/she leaves for deployment. Being prepared to deal with challenges that may arise at home can give everyone some peace of mind and help the service member focus on his/her mission ahead. Items covered include: Communication, Emergency Preparedness, Finances, Around the House and Legal Affairs.
  - Reconnection Workshops: Reconnection workshops enhance the likelihood of positive reconnections among family members and successful re-engagement of service members and veterans in civilian life.
  - Mind-Body Workshops: Mind-Body Workshops offer an alternative method of healing that engages both the mind and body to address common stress reactions that occur within military families and communities.
  - Post-Deployment Support Resources: Information and workshops to help families re-adjust to being together after a loved ones deployment.
- Financial Assistance: The American Red Cross works in partnership with military aid societies to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365. Assistance can include funds for emergency travel, burial of a loved one, emergency food and shelter, etc.
- Services for Veterans:
  - Referrals to Community Resources
  - Veterans Claims for Benefits
  - Volunteerism in VA and Military Hospitals
  - How to contact Red Cross for Assistance and Volunteer Opportunities

Building Homes for Heroes buildinghomesforheroes.org

Building Homes for Heroes offers the Veterans Home Award Program to eligible, injured veterans nation-wide. Homes are awarded to veterans who have been injured after 9/11/01 and are not currently home owners on an availability basis.

To further assist veterans, we also provide financial planning services, family funding, and emergency support. Each home recipient is provided with a financial planning representative to provide new, and sometimes first-time, homeowners with advice and guidance needed to maintain home expenses and to plan for a successful future.

Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) 800-733-8387

Are you the spouse or surviving spouse of - or a child of - a Veteran with disabilities or a Veteran who has died? If you don't qualify for TRICARE (the Department of Defense's health care program for active-duty and retired service members and their families), you may be able to get health insurance through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Through this program we cover the costs of some of your health care services and supplies. This is called cost sharing. Find out if you qualify for CHAMPVA and how to apply.

Critical Financial Assistance - Operation Homefront operationhomefront.org/critical-financial-assistance

If you are active duty, deployed, a veteran, or are a wounded, ill or injured service member or veteran with a service connected wound, illness or injury - and meet our criteria - you may be eligible for assistance from Operation Homefront's Critical Financial Assistance for:

overdue bills
repairs
critical family needs

Findlay VA Clinic 1720 E. Melrose Ave., Findlay, Ohio 45840

A new VA clinic will be opening October 1, 2024 in Findlay that will provide primary care, mental health, clinical pharmacist, dietetics, social work. lab services and vaccination services to eligible veterans. Veterans can still receive healthcare at the Toledo VA clinic or the LTC Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor ir the services they need are not offered at the Findlay VA clinic.

Helping Hands for Freedom helpinghandsforfreedom.org

Helping Hands for Freedom provides emergency financial assistance to Veterans, Military or Gold Star families who have been honorably discharged with a least one child 18 or under in the home. Assistance can be used for rent/mortgage, vehicle payments, utilities, insurance and other short term life needs.

Maumee Valley Guidance Center Defiance: 211 Biede Avenue, (419) 782-8856 Bryan: 910 E. Maple Street (419) 636-2932 Napoleon: 1325 Woodlawn Avenue (419) 592-5981 Wauseon: 1190 N. Shoop Avenue (419) 337-5941 mvgc@mvgcohio.org

Star Behavioral Health Providers: Attending therapy with a clinician trained in military matters allows a person to more openly express themselves without having to explain military culture and dynamics. Seeking treatment with individuals trained in military culture can allow for a more positive treatment experience and success in treatment. If you have any questions or want more information, please contact, Dawn Miller, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, Clinical Director at 800-569-3980 ext. 2109.

May also help with utilities, security deposit and rent, emergency supplies and homeless assistance for veterans having housing issues.

Military Heroes Fund penfedfoundation.org

The Military Heroes Fund emergency financial assistance program offers financial assistance for wounded, ill, and injured post 9-11 combat veterans who are experiencing an unexpected short term (1-2 month) financial setback.

Emergency financial assistance can be provided for:

rent/mortgage
electricity
utilities/water
natural gas
auto loans
auto insurance

Mission 22 mission22.com

Mission 22 provides support to Veterans and their families when they need it most: right now. Through a comprehensive approach of outreach, events, and programs, we're promoting long-term wellness and sustainable growth.

Veterans: Our proven programs help Veterans living with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma. We provide free, long-term programs for Veterans that focus on growth and healing.
Families: Healing starts at home. Our mission includes promoting wellness for the whole family.
Community: It takes a community to heal a warrior. Mission 22's social impact events and outreach raise awareness for our programs and provide Veterans and their famlies with the treatment they need.

Mission 22 is not a crisis organization. If you are in crisis, please call 911 immediately or one of the Crisis Lines below:

Stop Soldier Suicide: 844-889-5610
Veterans Crisis Line: 988; Press 1
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans 1-877-4Aid Vet (1-877-424-3838) va.gov/homeless

Free Help for Homeless Veterans: Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness - and their family members, friends, and supporters - can make the call to our chat on-line with the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, where trained counselors are ready to talk confidentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Who Can Call:

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
Family members, friends and supporters calling on behalf of Veterans
VA Medical Centers and other VA facilities and staff
Federal, stated and local partners
Community agencies and providers who serve Veterans who are homeless.

Why Make the Call to 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838):

It's free and confidential
You'll get access to trained VA counselors
It's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
You'll get information about VA homeless programs

What Happens When Veterans Make the Call:

A trained VA staff member asks a few questions to find out what you need
Then, you're connected to the nearest VA staff person who can help

What Happens When Others Make the Call:

Family members and non-VA providers receive information about available homeless programs and services
They can keep their information confidential or leave contact information so staff can follow up

Operation FINALLY HOME operationfinallyhome.org

At Operation FINALLY HOME, we provide custom-built, mortgage free homes and home modifications to America's military Heroes and the windows of the fallen, those who have worn America's uniform and sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and values. We bring together corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, developers, individual contributors, and volunteers to help these heroes and their families transition to the home front by addressing one of their most pressing needs - a home to call their own.

Sesame Street for Military Families

sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org

Sesame Street for Military Families is a free, bilingual (English and Spanish) website where families can find information and multimedia resources on the topics of military deployments, multiple deployments, homecomings, injuries, grief, and self-expression.

Social Work Services - Department of Veteran Affairs 4100 W. Third Street, Dayton, OH 45428 937-268-6511 Ext. 2122 va.gov

Social Worker Services helps Veterans and their families make effective use of the services and benefits of the VA Medical Center. Though individual, group, or family counseling, a member of the Social Work Service will also help Veterans and their families deal with psycho-social problems and provide referral recommendations, assistance and resource information.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp

This program helps Veterans who are homeless and their families find and sustain permanent housing.

Provides:

HUD Housing vouchers
Case Management

call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838)

Wells Fargo Veterans Emergency Grant Program learnmore.scholarsapply.org/wellsfargoveteransemergency

The Wells Fargo Veterans Emergency Grant program provides emergency financial assistance to veterans and their spouses who are enrolled in higher education. This program ensures veterans already enrolled in post-secondary education are able to stay in school without creating undue financial hardship for themselves or their families.