WEST POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2012) -- The Class of 2012 cadets involved in the American Politics Capstone Course were tasked by the Department of Labor to find effective ways of delivering services to homeless veterans in New York City. The cadets completed the semester-long capstone project and were recognized Feb. 10 by Assistant Secretary of Labor Junior Ortiz for their research.
"I read your report," Ortiz said. "You brought a different lens (a different perspective) on the issue of homeless veterans. You did a great job."
Ortiz, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and a 1981 graduate of the Naval Academy, recognized Class of 2012 cadets Joseph Amoroso, Chase Cappo, Zachariah Currie, Patrick Gutierrez, Trevor Smith and Anthony White with a certificate and a Marine coin which read "Lead by Example." Social Sciences instructor Col. Isaiah Wilson and Maj. Michael McInerney were also recognized.
Two other cadets who were not present included 2nd Lt. Katherine Kettering (a December graduate) and Coast Guard Cadet Lydia Monks who has returned to the Coast Guard Academy.
The cadets conducted an analysis for the Department of Labor-Veterans Employment and Transition Services Division about how to best provide transition services to homeless and unemployed veterans in New York City, according to Maj. Michael McInerney, American Politics, Policy and Strategy instructor and the Department of Social Sciences head academic counselor.
Amoroso said the class was divided into two groups with the first tasked with interviewing DOL staffers and providing policy recommendation on how to adequately respond to the growing issue surrounding homeless female veterans.
"The DOL explained that they were experiencing a critical information gap regarding the issue of female veteran homelessness and they needed help with organizing information and research that has been completed in order to close this gap," he said. "Once we compiled a literature review of these documents, which included articles, congressional records and policy statements, we were able to synthesize the problem and offer a detailed assessment for the DOL."
Some of the critical aspects of the problem of homeless female veterans identified by the group include: Female veterans are far more likely to be homeless than non-veteran females; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, single parenthood, unemployment and becoming a victim of sexual assault increases the risk for female veterans to end up homeless.
Monks said via email that her group was asked to research Veterans Affairs and identify loopholes in the benefit-reaping process for veterans.
"Our main concern was two-fold," Monks said. "First, not all veterans were made aware of benefits available to them post service and some homeless veterans have migrated between two or three different states (based on seasonal change) and were double-dipping in VA benefits."
Monks said they interviewed established grantees for veteran's services and veteran's homeless services as well as veterans themselves and drafted a memo presenting three possible solutions to mitigate these two problems.
"Our primary solution was the implementation of veteran coordinators employed by local departments of labor who would be assigned to individual veterans upon discharge," Monks said. "The coordinator would identify and track benefits available and received by individual vets and help vets obtain medical care, counseling, aid in job searching and the employment process."
Monks said the coordinators would foster a personal, positive relationship with veterans to better identify individual needs and opportunities.
Cadets this semester will be working on a similar project for the North Country Veterans Project to help in assisting veterans in the Adirondack region of New York State.
Social Sharing