On May 20th from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm the Housing Assistance Council will be holding their second annual Serving Veterans in Rural America Conference at the US Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. Confirmed speakers include Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA); Roger J. Casey, Director of Education, Veterans Health Administration National Center on Homelessness; Ann Oliva, Director, HUD Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs; Keith Kelly, Assistant Secretary, US Department of Labor; Tony Hernandez, RHS Administrator, USDA; Heather Pritchard, The Home Depot Foundation, Atlanta, GA; Jon Dieter, Longview Housing Authority, Longview, WA; Denis Leary, Veterans, Inc., Worcester, MA; Rozann Downing, Community Action Network, Springville, TN; and John Gallina, Purple Heart Homes, Statesville, NC. Additional Congress members invited. Read more about the event and how to RSVP below:
Rural Americans have a strong history of service to the U.S. military. A disproportionate number of veterans come from and return to small towns and rural America. Approximately 5.6 million, or 11.4 percent, of the rural population served in the military, accounting for a quarter of all veterans in 2010. Rural America serves, but this service is then often overlooked. Veterans are also not a homogenous group, nor are their needs. As two wars overseas wind down, more veterans are coming home. At the same time the demographic changes associated with the baby boom generation and the overall greying of America will also impact veterans’ needs in rural areas. Providing critical programs can be particularly challenging in rural America due to vast geographies, limited resources, and less social service infrastructure. This second annual conference features Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson as a main speaker. The conference will provide information on housing, health, and employment needs and programs for rural veterans. It will draw attention to this sometimes forgotten group, and showcase model programs that help. A special focus will be on successful local projects serving veterans. Co-sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, the conference will also feature a presentation on data and demographic information about rural veterans. HAC is a national nonprofit that helps rural communities build affordable housing and communities. One of our initiatives is service to rural veterans. The Home Depot Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of The Home Depot and has invested more than $340 million in local communities since being established in 2002. The mission of The Home Depot Foundation is simple to improve homes and improve lives. In 2011, The Home Depot Foundation focused its financial and volunteer resources to help nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the homes of economically disadvantaged U.S. military veterans. To date, the Foundation has committed more than $80 million and the volunteer skills of thousands of Home Depot associates to these efforts. For more information, contact Janice@ruralhome.org. Additional information about HAC’s Affordable Housing for Rural Veterans program can be found at www.ruralhome.org. There is no charge for the symposium but registration is requested. (Breakfast and lunch are included.) To register, please send the following information to Janice@ruralhome.org: Name Organization E-mail address Zip Code
