‘We’re going to fix it.’ How Wake County could improve services for veterans
Nearly 50,000 veterans and their families call Wake County home. Even more work or get services in the county.
On Monday, Wake County leaders heard recommendations to improve the lives of veterans in the area.
“We like to be a national leader here in Wake County,” County Commissioner Vickie Adamson, who co-chaired the task force, said Monday. “And our current Veterans Services are relatively embarrassing, but we’re going to fix it.
One area of focus is helping returning veterans find work.
“The veterans leaving the service have valuable skills and education and leadership,” said Richard Spyrison, co-chair of the task force and commander of American Legion Post 67 in Cary. “But it can be difficult, in some cases, to put all that down on a resume. A lot of civilian employers don’t understand the military acronyms, the military jargon or how something that a person was trained to do in the military, how that can relate to civilian life.”
Wake County could be a leader in helping veterans find jobs and give them priority in county hiring, he said.
There are also a number of veterans who need help transitioning to civilian life, Spyrison said.
One way the county could help is by establishing a veterans treatment court, a specialized court that helps veterans in the justice system due to mental health disorders, trauma, and substance use. There are five in North Carolina.
“We do understand something like a veterans treatment court is going to take a long time, because there’s state agencies that are involved,” Spyrison said. “There’s funding that’s involved. There’s staffing that’s involved, and we understand this.”
The task force’s other recommendations include:
- Establish a veterans cemetery and nursing home in Wake County.
- Provide more employment assistance to veterans transitioning out of active duty and their families.
- Recognize Wake County employees who are veterans on Veterans Day.
- Encourage more organizations to join NCServes, an organization that coordinates services across public and private sectors for veterans.
- Create a “veterans preference in hiring” policy for Wake County government.
- Partner with nonprofits to improve mental health services.
- Provide resources for “female veterans in an easy-to-find format.”
- Create directional signage for veteran facilities.
- Create a Board of Commissioners liaison to the veteran community.
- Participate in the “Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenges to prevent veteran suicide.”
- Partner with Hidden Heroes, an organization that increases awareness and support for military caretakers.
- Create a way to obtain routine feedback from the veteran community.
- Fly the POW/MIA flag on county-owned property.
The county will begin reviewing the items and bring back a list that can be implemented quickly, said Wake County Manager David Ellis.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 9:08 AM.
