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New Horizons Helps Veterans Find Jobs & Homes

Posted byHoumanitarian

(Renée C. Lee, Houston Chronicle)
Army veteran Julius Bostic was at a crossroads in his life when an unexpected opportunity came his way about three months ago. Bostic, 42, had recently quit school to look for a job to help support his infant son. He was homeless, living with a friend, and his job search was going nowhere.

“It was either one way or the underworld,” said the divorced father of three. “I needed to get some type of productivity.” His life improved after he met a representative of a nonprofit, Horizon Outreach, who guided him into the organization’s program for veteran fathers who have fallen on hard times.

Like many veterans, Bostic has faced challenges moving from military to civilian life. Skills gained during his 14 years as a combat soldier don’t translate easily to a civilian résumé, and it’s been hard for him to find steady work. His meager earnings from odd jobs have left him intermittently homeless for the past 2½ years.

Employment and housing are major challenges for veterans, said Buddy Grantham, the city of Houston’s director of veteran affairs. Many end up homeless because they can’t find work, and as they get older the stresses of life make it harder to maintain stability. The mental strain of their combat experience can also play a role, he said.

Younger veterans have a more difficult time than older ones. They enter the military right after high school and when they come home, they find that their peers have had more educational opportunities to help them get jobs, Grantham said. “The educational gulf has to be overcome,” he said.

Veterans ages 18-24 who have served since September 2001 had a 30 percent unemployment rate in 2011, compared to a 16 percent rate for non-veterans in the same age group, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Transferring military experience to civilian skills is another challenge for veterans, said Fred Gibbs, assistant regional employment representative with the Texas Veterans Commission.

“A soldier might have worked as a tank driver in the army, but there’s no such thing in civilian life,” Gibbs said. “We have to assess and find out their skills and interests.”
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)

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