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Community celebrates one year of collaboration to better serve veterans and their families

Flower Mound Leader - 4/13/2018

United Way of Denton County, the North Texas Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (NTLITC) and other collaborative partners hosted an open house at the Denton County Veterans Center on Thursday to commemorate one year of service to veterans and their families in Denton County.

Local dignitaries and contributors, as well as veterans and their families, toured the collaborative space which houses a variety of services under one roof assuring effective and integrative care for the Veterans and their families. These services include housing assistance, counseling, job placement, VA benefits guidance, tax assistance and peer support.

In its one year of service, the veterans center has earned a reputation as a safe place with people who care among its veteran client base.

The agencies housed under its roof work together with bi-monthly team meetings to evaluate resources and fulfill client needs. These agencies include: Catholic Charities of Fort Worth, Denton County Veterans Coalition, Goodwill Vet Worthy, HUD-VASH Case Management, Military Veteran Peer Network, North Texas Area Agency on Aging, Project Camo, Texas Veterans Commission, Veteran Community Navigators, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Youth and Family Counseling.

"Consolidating these services dramatically reduces the barrier of access for veterans in our community," said Gary Henderson, president & CEO of United Way of Denton County. "More than 45,000 veterans call Denton County home, and the veterans center is here to serve them."

The Denton County Behavioral Health Leadership Team and United Way of Denton County identified the veterans center as a long-term goal in 2016. The vision of Bob Widmer of the NTLITC accelerated its reality to April 2017.

The opening of the center has drastically increased the capacity and quality of service to veterans. Before the center, a shortage of private space at the Teasley offices of United Way of Denton County often led to the veteran team completing sensitive intake interviews with veterans in a storage room. Additionally, numerous providers of veterans services now housed in the veterans center worked from their cars or in offices scattered throughout the county. With support from a generous donor, these agencies now utilize the space free of charge.