Outreach
Purpose: Locate Women Veterans that are homeless, at-risk of becoming homeless, and struggling; advocate by building trust; and provide them information on local community resources and services.
Mission:
- Provide a program and infrastructure that will provide on-going and long-term solutions within their local community.
- Provide respect, compassion, and hands-on assistance.
- Build trust.
What Does the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Need to Do?
First start by registering today!
- Trauma Informed Care Training Guide
- Testimonials of Veteran Women
Understand our homeless Women Veterans: View The Trauma Informed Care Training Guide
Videos of the personal accounts of what each of the Women Veterans face on a day-to-day basis.
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- Fill the backpack with essentials
Essentials list - Purchase luggage tags for each backpack with your local contact information, which includes American Legion Auxiliary Unit and point of contact name and phone number.
- Put one luggage tag on each backpack.
- Download the Press Release and fill in the blanks with your local American Legion Auxiliary information.
Press release - After you fill in all the information per Step 9 on the Press Release, print and send to your local publications (i.e. magazines, newspapers, social media)
- Upon receiving feedback from the Press Release, you will compile the information as your local resource guide for your Unit to use in assisting the Women Veterans. The purpose of the Press Release is to engage the community in finding resources, services (i.e. emergency shelters), transportation; and obtain donations to buy backpacks and essential items.
- Download the Backpack Poster. Distribute, by email or hard copy, the 11 x 17 backpack poster within the entire community.
Download the Poster
Completion date for above Steps 1 – 7: January 30, 2015
Start Date: February 1, 2015
- Start networking with the various organizations within your local community (i.e. fire department, military organizations, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Rotary, churches, hospitals) to educate them on their involvement and participation in the Statewide Outreach Program.
- Once you are contacted by a local organization that there is a Women Veteran in need, Print the Intake Form.
Intake Form - Complete the “Intake Information Form” with the Women Veteran.
- Give her a backpack ONLY once the “Intake Information Form” is completed and you have verified she is a Women Veteran. Verification could include her DD-214. Other verification methods include a driver’s license or Social Security Number.
- Address her immediate needs (shelter, food).
- Follow up with her on a weekly basis the first month to be sure she is getting the resources she needs.
- After you complete the Intake Information Form, fax or PDF to us directly.
- Complete the feedback form below and fax or PDF to VFL.
Feedback Form - You will be required to complete a Feedback Form that will be automatically sent to you on a monthly basis. As part of the feedback form, each Unit will be required to provide VFL with your outreach community resources so VFL can keep an accurate database.
VFL will consolidate the feedback comments and provide to all Units on a quarterly basis. These feedback ideas will assist all the Statewide Units in accomplishing our goal of assisting our Women Veterans. In addition, this information will provide accountability to each Unit; whereby, it will assist you in asking for money to purchase essentials and backpacks.
