Some veterans in Central New York are getting job training through a charitable organization that can help them transition out of the military. It’s called Responsive to Our Community, or ROC for short. Their mission is to employ and train veterans in construction or renovation of homes, and in turn provide housing to survivors of domestic violence.
Executive Director Adam Bushey says one of the biggest challenges veterans face coming back from deployment is a lack of opportunity.
"You have post 9/11 veterans to whom, maybe they were a company commander or they were a drill sergeant, and now they come back and they feel like the best job they can find is bagging groceries and that's a really hard transition."
ROC trains veterans in construction to enable them for long lasting careers in the field. Their work also helps to create housing for people who have no choice but to leave their homes. Bushey credits the success of the program to partners such as the Salvation Army, which runs a shelter for people escaping abuse, and Clear Path for Veterans, which has provided them with mentorship. He adds the benefits even go further.
"What we're doing is taking that training and having that training build something in and of itself. We call it the triple win, because while you're paying just for training, you're getting something built out of it. And, what you're getting built out of it is housing for individuals who are homeless due to no fault of their own."
Bushey finds this duty to help others gives veterans a feeling of purpose, that they might not have had since their military deployments.
"Veterans, in particular as a group, really identify with trying to make the world a better place, trying to support something that's bigger than themselves. And so by joining Responsive to Our Community and knowing what our mission is, that gives the veterans that sense of purpose, that sense of mission, that sense of doing something bigger than themselves again."
Over the last 18 months, Responsive to Our Community raised over a million dollars for the program. That money funds the veterans’ salaries, labor costs and materials. Donations are needed to assist in increased overhead costs.
Their next project is to work with faith-based organizations that would like to turn unused buildings into affordable housing, using newly-trained veteran builders, while helping those who need a place to live. More information can be found here.
ROC is one of the charities supported by the Syracuse Auto Dealers Association Gala cahrity preview. Information here.