The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
A new collaboration between Joining Forces, New York City and Robin Hoodis designed to better connect returning veterans and their families to the services they need to succeed - and to the opportunities they have earned
On May 7th, in New York City, I had the great privilege of attending an all-day summit onboard the U.S.S. Intrepid that brought together over 400 leaders from the military, veterans groups, non-profit organizations, local, state and federal government, medicine, and the media. It was an extraordinary day – and the focus was on sharing successful ideas from programs that have demonstrated real results or are seen to have real potential to help our returning military and their families. These ideas came from a diverse group of Americans, leaders from Tom Brokaw to Admiral Mike Mullen and Jon Stewart to the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan.
At the conference, we announced a Joining Forces commitment:
- A new collaboration between Joining Forces, New York City and Robin Hood, one of New York City’s leading non-profit organizations, will work together to better connect returning veterans and their families to the services they need to succeed - and to the opportunities they have earned. These services include job or college placement, housing assistance, as well as physical rehabilitation and mental health care and other support programs.
- A convening of local leaders from around the country here at the White House in July. The White House Task Force on Veterans, Wounded and Military Families will hold this meeting as a way to further explore ways that community-based strategies - such as those discussed at the Robin Hood Veterans Summit - can enhance the support that our nation's veterans and their families receive. Outcomes and best practices from the summit on the Intrepid will help to inform the discussion at the July gathering.
Looking ahead: as we expand Joining Forces partnerships, we will continue to work with government agencies, veteran service organizations and the private sector to continually share best practices designed to most positively impact our nation's veterans.
Read about the Robin Hood Veterans Summit here and to learn more about the White House's Joining Forces initiative, visit JoiningForces.gov, follow us on Twitter @JoiningForces and on Facebook .
