Veterans' Organizations Team Up To Host Veterans Fair

WATERFORD (WWJ) - It's no secret that when Veterans come home, there are often times adjustments to be made, either in a job, family or medically. To help, a special Veterans Fair will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Oakland Schools in Waterford.

Nanette Colling, a spokesperson with the John Dingell VA Medical Center, said they have a lot more than jobs to offer veterans.

"We're hoping to get over 100 veterans and their families to attend and our goal is to get the word out to veterans about what services are available in their community, not only from the VA Hospital but also from the Veterans Benefits Administration, the vet center, things like that," said Colling.

The fair will focus on an array of services and provide valuable information about specific services available for veterans.

"We have about eight VA programs as well as community programs, including assistance with benefits, helping to find work, helping to register at the hospital, assistance with housing, assistance with utilities, and more," said Colling.

Participating organizations include Oakland County Veterans Council, VA Services (PTSD, Mental Health, and Family Outreach), Veterans Benefits Program, the Vet Center, and Workforce Development Agency, Oakland University Veterans Committee, Community Housing Network, Oakland Livingston Human Services and other community partners.

"Since 9-11, there have been 1.6 million troops deployed, many with  multiple tours of duty. We expect about 300,000 veterans to be returning home, so we want to let them know that there are services out there for them to assist them to re-adjust to the community," said Colling.

The fair will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Oakland Schools, located at 2111 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford.