G ina Bracks is a Veteran Employment Services Staff Member for TROOPS (Training, Reintegration, Outreach and Opportunity Program Services), whose primary goal is to focus on employment and housing for homeless veterans. “We have transitional housing for single women and women with children. We also work with men, who have dependents eighteen years or younger. We assist them, get them employment training, and make sure they are at the top of their game. Whatever skills they do have, we enhance them. We want them to have a career. The whole idea is for self-sufficiency. We want to give them a skill set and to have a profession where they can flourish and grow.” “We want to give them a skill set, and to have a profession where they can flourish and grow.” Networking is an important aspect of Gina’s job. While participants are training for their careers, if they need immediate income, Gina’s company networks with employers looking for labor, so they can have an immediate paycheck. An important aspect of Mary Hall Freedom Village is that working mothers can utilize childcare services such as CAPS (Child and Parent Services) while they are learning job skills and getting back on their feet. So, how does Mary Hall Freedom Village find these veterans in need of homes and jobs? Gina answers, “It’s a mix—some are referrals. Some have gone to the VA, and we have a liaison there, whom we get referrals from. Some, we may have met at a job fair. Some relocate to Atlanta without a plan. Some are living in their car, I’ve met them in the woods, in shelters… we interact with those in need.” The bottom line: this team makes a real effort to find those in need. But participants in
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