New group supports local veterans

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - There's a new not-for-profit veterans assistance group, based in Buffalo.

The Veterans One-Stop Center of WNY has a clearly-defined mission, stated by Chairman Roger Woodworth. "to bring people, resources in the community together in one spot for the common good of veterans."

The VOC was founded by members of Goodwill Industries and the WNY Veterans Housing Coalition. It serves veterans of all wars -- from Vietnam to the Gulf War, to Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Case management professionals at the VOC will assist veterans with finding a place to live; getting a job, job training or going back to school and determining what military and non-military benefits they are eligible for, just to name a few.

For more information, visit the WNY Veterans' One-Stop Center website.

Never before has there been a single place where veterans can go, to find benefits and services under one roof. Right now, they may have to go to five or six different places, including the VA, social services agencies, or counseling centers.

"You get very frustrated after you get through the first one. If you have to stand in line and deal with somebody that you don't like, or they don't treat you right, then they get frustrated. They give up, and they go, 'The heck with that. I'm not going to do this,'" says WNY Veterans' Housing Coalition Chief Operating Officer Celia O'Brien.

From there, the cycles of homelessness, unemployment or underemployment, PTSD and physical ailments perpetuate themselves.

According to some figures, unemployment among veterans nationwide is as high as 20%, even higher than in general population. The Department of Veterans Affairs conservatively estimates one out of every three homeless men is a vet. And there's been a 35% jump in the number of vets receiving mental health services since 2007.

Readjustment to civilian life is often difficult, both for soldiers who've recently returned home and vets who've been back for decades.

WNY Veterans Housing Coalition Board Chairman Thomas Bennett says, "We see people coming back from a war zone, and within 24 hours, they're back in the private sector. Add to that the traumatic situations that they face. It's a lot of stress."

"Combat PTSD is different than your typical PTSD," according to Connie Przepasniak, a licensed mental health therapist who's been working directly with veterans for the last seven years.

"They'll come in and they'll say, 'I'm having trouble sleeping.' 'I'm having flashbacks.' 'I have times when I'm locking all my doors. I'm checking windows. I can't walk down the street without feeling like I'm having a panic attack.' Those are all signs of PTSD."

And that, Przepasniak points out, can seriously interfere with a person's ability to lead a normal, productive life.

"Normalizing those symptoms is a relief. And when you go to a therapist and you start to discuss those things, and the therapist is normalizing that, letting you know, 'This is directly related to your experiences,' it's so helpful," says Przepasniak.

She will be training some of the other mental health professionals working through the VOC, preparing them to help veterans work through the unique challenges they face.

"While in the military, yes. The veteran -- the soldier -- they're taken care of. But once they come back to the community, those contacts are lost. And so it's up to the community to provide the support and the care that the veterans need," Przepasniak says.

"Veterans are oftentimes -- not every veteran, but most -- are reluctant to ask for help, or they don't believe that they deserve what they've earned," Woodworth says.

Sometimes the best way to make a connection with a vet, is through another vet. Many of the people at the VOC are veterans themselves.

Dick Wannemacher, a board member of the Veterans Outreach Coalition who's also involved in the VOC, knows firsthand the importance of making those connections. The Purple Heart recipient suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy in 1969.

"Sometimes, you think... You're embarrassed, because you don't know the answer," Wannemacher says. "You really don't even know what the question is. But you know that you have a situation that you have to have resolved. And so, this group will be able to understand where you're coming from."

Woodworth says, "Everybody's unique, and each veteran is unique. We can take that unique case, tailor a program to his or her needs, with the proper mix and the proper agencies, to get the outcome that the veteran desires."

Everyone involved in the VOC is there because they want to help veterans, Pzepasniak says. It's a "great, energized group," according to Wannemacher.

"We're going to be their friends, because they need us," he says. "They might not know that they need us. But they do."