Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a federal grant worth $300,000 for the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester to help provide new job training opportunities for veterans struggling to transition to civilian life and find a job in the tough economy.
The federal grant funding is allocated from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
“New York’s veterans are some of the bravest, hardest working men and women you could ever ask for,” said Senator Gillibrand, who stood with Rochester Veterans last month to call for more job training and education initiatives for local veterans. “They bravely fought for our country overseas, and they shouldn’t be in the fight of their lives once again here at home in a tough economy. This is a great investment that will equip more veterans with the skills they need for good-paying jobs.”
“We at Veterans Outreach Center are delighted to be the recipient of this award,” said Patricia D. Marks, Interim CEO of the Veterans Outreach Center. “It will allow us to continue to deliver the standards of excellence that our veterans so richly deserve. We are grateful for the support of Senators Gillibrand and Schumer in this endeavor.”
The grant for Rochester veterans is part of a nationwide initiative totaling more than $15 million and estimated to serve roughly 8,600 veterans nationally with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers.
Last year, Senator Gillibrand hosted a roundtable with Rochester/Finger Lakes Region veterans and business leaders to discuss obstacles veterans are facing once they returned home to their families and looked for new jobs. Last month, Senator Gillibrand followed up on the ideas and concerns from the roundtable, and called for a series of new initiatives to provide stronger, more effective job training and education opportunities for veterans.