Q&A
Funding and support for peer support and community-based programs
1:00:53
·
85 sec
Council Member Linda Lee inquires about funding and support for peer support and community-based programs. DVS officials explain their approach to supporting these programs.
- DVS primarily collaborates with organizations rather than directly funding programs
- The agency works with groups like Bluestar Families and the American Red Cross for peer support programs
- The Joseph P. Dwyer program receives $416,000 annually from the state for peer support initiatives
- DVS encourages organizations to apply for funding through VetWire to support programs that normalize help-seeking behavior among veterans and military families
Linda Lee
1:00:53
Okay.
1:00:53
Awesome.
1:00:54
And just in terms of the peer support and community based programs, because, you know, I'm definitely a huge, huge fan of these types of programs, and I feel like they're very impactful and effective.
1:01:04
And just wondering what's the overall funding that you have available for these programs and services?
Ellen Greeley
1:01:10
We don't have funding.
1:01:12
What we have is we have collaborations.
1:01:14
So for example, we just did a very large event, a Yankee stadium, and we collaborated with Bluestar families, and Bluestar families themselves offer a number of different types of peer to peer type of programs, also the American Red Cross has a big survivor's network type of program, a peer program.
1:01:36
We have a lovely lady in our office who's who participates in the American Red Cross survivors network.
1:01:45
So those are those are two examples of peer to peer for families in that regard?
James Hendon
1:01:50
I just wanna add as far as the Dwyer program too, as far as funding that we have to support that.
Ellen Greeley
1:01:54
Yeah.
James Hendon
1:01:54
So that's for the Joseph P Dwyer program annually, it's right now, it's at 416,000 per year we're receiving from the state.
1:02:02
To push out for that program.
1:02:03
That's where we really encourage folks to apply it in YC dot gov slash vet wire.
1:02:07
The purpose of that money for us is to put it in a hands of groups that are doing things on the ground to normalize help seeking behavior amongst veteran and military families.
1:02:15
And so that's an annual piece from the aid to locality's budget.
