Village for Vets honored with national award from the Department of Veterans Affairs
A note from Founder Marcie Polier Swartz on the honor:
Great news to share: Village for Vets was given a national award and asked to attend the virtual award ceremony at the VA last Thursday morning. The VA in Washington mounted a video ceremony with meaningful and appreciative speeches from the VA’s top echelon, including Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Under Secretary for Health, and Carolyn Clancy, the Assistant Under Secretary for Health and Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks.
The CTRS (Care, Treatment & Rehabilitative Services) program would not have been possible without community partners, including AyZar Outreach, Brentwood School, U.S. VETS and Village for Vets. The highlight for me was Rob Merchant’s acceptance speech. He thanked us all for filling the gaps in services and funding that enabled this program to be created. He added how challenging the mandate to house homeless veterans is – “… the job is too great and too hard to do alone.”
Our immeasurable thanks and acknowledgment go to The Change Reaction, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Fresh Lunches, Brentwood School and UCLA for their contributions, and to HomeAid who donated 30 tiny shelters and two mess halls. Additional special thanks go to all our friends who purchased tiny shelters.
