Pima County One-Stop Career Center is preparing to open the nation’s first workforce center aimed at helping military veterans find jobs and get training, benefits and support services.

The center will also help employers hire veterans.

The Kino Veterans’ Workforce Center is scheduled to open Monday, July 16, at 2801 E. Ajo Way, next door to the Kino Service Center at 2979 E. Ajo Way.

Due to an incorrect media report of an earlier opening date, Program Manager Art Burrola said Thursday that a staff member will be at the center on Monday, July 2, to direct veterans to appropriate resources.

A grand opening is planned for a later date.

The Veterans’ Center will be a partnership of the Pima County One-Stop Career Center with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Arizona Departments of Veterans Services and Economic Security, Pima Community College, Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, the Pima County Health Department, and Old Pueblo Community Services.

To improve the quality of service to veterans, reduce unnecessary duplication and maximize available resources, the partners will coordinate to offer services and streamlined resource referrals under one roof, and to share leadership, costs, information and data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the unemployment rate for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans jumped to 12.7 percent in May, up from 9.2 percent the previous month.  The national unemployment rate for May was 8.2 percent.

In addition to employment assistance, returning veterans also often need housing, health care and other support services.

The Kino Veterans’ Workforce Center will offer veterans:

• Peer support, drop-in and welcome
• Career counseling and job search assistance
• Computer labs and office equipment
• Benefits counseling and claims assistance – education, medical care, disability
• Assistance with housing and other basic needs during transition to employment
• Guidance and financial assistance for training and education programs
• Adult education, tutoring and study skills
• Behavioral health services and recovery

Employers who hire unemployed veterans between Nov. 21, 2011, and Jan. 1, 2013, may qualify for:

• A Returning Heroes Tax Credit of up to $2,400 if the veteran has been unemployed for at least four weeks or up to $5,600 if the veteran has been unemployed for more than six months.
• A Wounded Warrior Tax Credit of up to $9,600 if the veteran has been unemployed for more than six months and has service-connected disabilities.

For more information, call 243-6700.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at 11:15 am and is filed under Health, One-Stop Career Center, Pima County, Southern Arizona, Tucson. Tags for this post: Arizona Department of Economic Security, Arizona Department of Veterans Services, Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, education, health care, housing, jobs, Old Pueblo Community Services, Pima Community College, training, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans, veterans' benefits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.