The County of San Luis Obispo’s Veterans Services Office (VSO) and Atascadero’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2814 hosted a monthly resource fair for Veterans in North San Luis Obispo County to connect them with resources that support a healthier and more resilient veteran community.
The goal of the resource fair is to provide a one-stop-shop for goods and services to veterans in the community in cooperation with state and federal assistance programs, and local vendors to provide medical, health, financial, and social benefits.
"Our main office is in San Luis Obispo at 801 Grand Avenue," Morgan Boyd, San Luis Obispo County Veteran Services Officer. "We have an office at 240 Scott Street, co-located at the Veterans Hall at Paso Robles, and then we have an office down at the Arroyo Grand Library. We really try and get our representatives out into our community instead of forcing our veterans to come."
Over 20 resource providers popped their tents on the lawn off of Morro Road, coming from as far as Los Angeles, to provide information about resources many local Veterans didn't know they had.
“We've been only conducting them for about a year now," Boyd added. "So as the word gets out, more and more veterans start to attend these events.”
Sara Werp with Seniors Helping Seniors said their program guides veterans who need help with everyday tasks in receiving free care in their home.
"Ron Torres came up with this idea and he's the director," Werp said. "We service San Luis Obispo County and in each city we have caregivers provide to people that they're relatively close to [with] 4 hours to 12-hour shifts."
Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Colonel John Whitworth and Cary Ugolini, offer mentorship through the Veterans Court Program, part of Veterans Helping Veterans. They help those who turned to substance abuse and got into trouble with the law with an 18-month program that wipes their fines and records, helping them start with a clean slate.
“Most of us have had PTSD ourselves," Colonel Whitworth, the US Marine Corps Helicopter Pilot said. "You can't go to a war zone and come back into society without having issues. And some of them, many come out and drug and alcohol.”
Operation Surf, located out of Avila Beach, helps Veterans and Active Duty Military Members by taking them out surfing on a free, three-month-long program. Veterans and active military members are taught to surf and learn to better cope with PTSD by connecting with one another.
“We've had people that have come in saying that they were going to commit suicide and then found surfing and that's really given them the motivation to keep going," Development and Outreach Manager of Operation Surf, Madison Kudsk said.
