Veterans Multi-Service Center Holds Grand Opening in Lock Haven

By Christopher Miller

LOCK HAVEN – The Veterans Multi-Service Center held a ribbon cutting last week for the grand opening of their new location at 8 North Grove Street, Suite 2, in Lock Haven.

Heather Hewitt, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program Manager, welcomed those in attendance, saying that the Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC) has been around in the area for a few years and are now fully-staffed and ready to service and help veterans in the surrounding community.

“This office services the 10 counties around us, but VMC as a whole services Pennsylvania, Delaware, and some of New Jersey,” Heather said. “We are grant-funded and are not shut down in any capacity.”

Rachael Schall, Housing Coordinator, presented an informative session on housing and supportive services for veterans.

“The SSVF grant is offered through the VA and supports low-income veterans who are homeless or are at risk of being homeless. It provides outreach, assessment, case management, advocacy, and assistance in obtaining VA benefits,” she said. “If a veteran comes to us and has a specific need we may not be able to take care of, we can refer them to an outside agency and help them get in contact with someone who can.”

The SSVF is the biggest program that the VMC has.

“We have assigned case managers who have 10 veterans on their caseload at a time. They work closely with a veteran to help them determine goals and how they want to grow. We will work to help them reach their goals, and work with the VA in the event they need an increase in their benefits or to help them get benefits in place,” she said.

The SSVF housing program at the Lock Haven office covers Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Snyder, TIoga, Union, and Northumberland Counties.
The Shallow Subsidy is another program that the VMC offers.

This program is for veterans who may need more time to get their finances in order, help them save money for an apartment, or other financial needs.

“We can provide up to two years of partial rental subsidy for a long term solution,” she added. This is geared to veterans to help them become financially independent, and allows for an increase in income without worrying that they will lose their benefits. It helps a veteran find stable housing without concern for losing any benefits if their income increases.”

The VMC also offers various intervention pathways such as rapid rehousing which can help a veteran or their family move from literal homelessness to being in a home, working with veterans who are “street homeless,” or working with them if they are currently in a shelter.

“Through the homeless prevention pathway if a veteran is not able to pay their rent or receives an eviction notice, if they come to us and qualify for our program we can help them pay those costs so they can stay in their home and are not kicked out,” Rachael said.

A new grant through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) is an employment grant focuses on competitive employment for veterans experiencing homelessness.

“We have robust programs on career coaching, resume building, employment referrals, and training opportunities. Our employment specialist on staff works with this and helps veterans to find their skills,” Rachael said.

“A lot of times a veteran has a very specific set of skills that is hard to understand how they fit into civilian life. In this case we ask them what they have done in the past, what they like to do, and how we can find a career path for this outside of the military. Our staff member also works closely with PA CareerLink to help veterans find jobs, and we are able to pay for training and certifications such as forklift and ServSafe for food services. For these services we cover Clinton, Centre, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties.”

The Veterans Multi-Service Center is located at 8 North Grove Street, Suite 2, in Lock Haven. Their hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Their phone number is 1-844-226-0368 and email address is CentralPAInfo@VMCenter.org