Help is out there

TIFFIN --- Resources for veterans were advocated for and discussed during the 2023 Coming Home: Veteran Conference hosted by Dress Right Dress Inc. (DRD) on Friday afternoon. The conference, hosted at Tiffin University's Marion Center, included a variety of information regarding veterans, such as: mental health awareness, homelessness, rehabilitation and transitions, career placement, projects and more. Throughout the conference, different presentations were given by individuals who also aim to advocate for veterans and bring awareness to the things they may face post-duty. DRD was conceptualized in 2015, then became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2019, and focuses on helping veterans who have entered the criminal justice system and educating the community on veteran-related topics. Since initially forming, DRD has made its way throughout Ohio, various states in the country and even outside of the country. The mission of DRD is to assist "service members and veterans during tough times associated with transitional hardships throughout their life after serving our nation." The primary functions of the program are to provide peer support groups for veterans, peer-to-peer services, resources, employment, transitional assistance and more. DRD is primarily funded through donations, fundraisers and grants. Currently, the organization has three existing programs: Justice Involved Veterans (JIV), Transitional Service-Members (TSM), and Veteran Employment and Training Services (VETS.) Additionally, DRD has certifications and partnerships with Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, and the Ohio Department of Veteran Services. Jeremy Parkins, president and founder of DRD, and Air Force OEF/OIF veteran, said his hope is that the conference promotes people to become more aware of the many pitfalls that veterans go through, and how to mitigate those pitfalls. The statistics provided by DRD, noted there are 22 veteran suicides per day; 35,000 homeless veterans; and around 117,000-171,000 veterans incarcerated in the United States. Around 2,600 veterans are incarcerated in the state of Ohio justice system alone. "We need to normalize the conversation about mental health, especially among (people in) the military," Parkins said. "People tend to want to sweep these topics under the rug." During the conference, guest speaker Chris Picha from the Ohio Department of Veteran Services gave a presentation that focused on veteran employment, benefits and education. Dean Roff of Homeless Hookup CLE, was also featured as a presenter at the conference, where he shared insight into his own experiences with being homeless after leaving the military, and how he turned his situation into something positive by beginning a mobile hygiene bus for homeless veterans and the homeless population in general. Brian Byorth, regional reentry administrator of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, talked about a "pathway of change" that the department aims to follow. Byorth said the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation focuses on bringing veterans into the community after spending time being incarcerated to reduce recidivism. The event also featured a presentation from Steven Friday, post 9/11 M2VA case manager/patient advocate for Ann Arbor Veteran Affairs. Jason Hughes of the Ohio Sucide Prevention Foundation also delivered a speech regarding the risk factors, warning signs and resources for veterans who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideals. Finally, Katie Davis, president of the Brandon C. Franzen Foundation provided a presentation wrapping up the conference. The Brandon C. Franzen Foundation is a memorial foundation created in honor of SSG Franzen, dedicated to helping stop PTSD-related suicide among veterans and active service members. Parkins concluded that there are various ways for individuals to help and promote awareness toward these veteran-related topics. "Go to the local VA hospitals, go reach out to a local veteran," he suggested. "Ask them if they're okay, ask them if they need help, listen to them talk and let them tell their stories." "It doesn't cost anything to be a nice person," he added.