 Release Date: November 25, 2008OPERATION WELCOME HOME BRINGS SERVICES TO VALLEY VETERANS Los Angeles, CA — On Wednesday, November 26, New Directions will expand the scope of its Operation Welcome Home program by bringing outpatient services to veterans who live in the San Fernando Valley and beyond. Operation Welcome Home was created last year specifically to meet the needs of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. With the opening of a new satellite office in the Pacoima/Arleta area, New Directions will be able to reach more returning veterans through a larger geographic presence. Services for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) will include benefits counseling, employment assistance and case management, individual and group therapy, drug and alcohol treatment, along with support for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. Classes and informational panels on a variety of veteran topics will also be held throughout the San Fernando Valley. “There are many OEF/OIF veterans in the Valley, but not many services available to them,” says Ed Gonzalez, Program Supervisor for Operation Welcome Home. “We want to serve these veterans close to home and make resources and support more accessible to them.” The Operation Welcome Home office will be staffed Mondays and Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and open at other times by appointment. The new site is located inside the offices of Chrysalis, at 14015 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite E, Arleta, CA 91331. Veterans may call (818) 899-9873 for more information. Each month, thousands of troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them suffering from serious physical and/or mental problems. Even those who escape the battlefield relatively “unharmed” may face difficulties in transitioning back to civilian life. Operation Welcome Home was created specifically to offer support and compassion to recently returning veterans. Founded in 1992, New Directions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that operates five residential facilities and serves hundreds of veterans each year. An estimated 20,000 homeless veterans live on the streets of Los Angeles. More information about New Directions can be found at www.ndvets.org. |
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