Waterloo IA: Goodwill Industries of Northeast Iowa, Inc. is joining forces with the Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs office to address chronic homelessness and transportation needs of area veterans.

“Dozens of men and women are experiencing difficulty adjusting to everyday life following their active service,” according to Veterans Affairs Executive Director, Kevin Dill. Transportation and housing rank at the top of the barriers to independence experienced by vets. “We are anxious to partner with Goodwill Industries to address these two concerns,” said Dill.

David Boyd, Goodwill President and CEO said that agency is committed to easing barriers for veterans. “We have provided transportation, vocational, and residential services to persons with disabilities for decades. Adding this population to our service delivery model is a logical step and will play a small role in helping close an existing service gap in our community.”

Goodwill officials have leased an area four-bedroom home to place veterans with an immediate residential need. In addition to housing, Goodwill and area volunteers will provide staff assistance, transportation to various agencies, doctors’ appointments, and other locales. In addition, Goodwill has a long, rich history of providing employment services, rsum development, job development, interviewing techniques and job placement. “These services and more will be available to our deserving veterans,” added Boyd.

Both agencies hope to grow these services throughout the Cedar Valley in coming months.

The first residential placements will begin August 1.