As I listened to the State of the Union address, in between the calls for working together in Washington and solutions to boost the economy, two of President Obama’s points caught my attention. While speaking on the need to consolidate the nation’s work force development programs, he stated that “it is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.” In one of his final remarks, he spoke about the need to employ veterans coming back from war: “Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they’ve served us . . . And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation.” It made me proud that RTNO is already playing a role in accomplishing these bipartisan goals, albeit a small one.

At the start of 2012, we established our Veterans Program to employ and train four homeless veterans in construction and the remediation of defective drywall. As most of you know, last year, we learned that we installed donated defective drywall in 26 of our projects. RTNO made a commitment to remediate and rehabilitate these homes to fulfill our promise to provide our homeowners with safer, more durable homes. While deciding on how to fund these projects, our previous director, Daniela Rivero, decided to help alleviate a devastating negative with a community positive. In partnership with Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans, we created a workforce development program to employ four veterans in drywall remediation, lead remediation, weatherization, and other construction skills. It is our way of providing opportunities for those who have served and defended our country. So far, these veterans have remediated five houses and weatherized another. Each one of these veterans has a different story and different motivations, but each one is making the most of the opportunity to gain hands-on experience while making an impact in the community. By the end of the three year program, we hope to employ at least ten homeless veterans, giving them marketable skills. Hopefully, two of our veterans will have the training and support to start their own businesses and run their own construction crews.

Currently, Chevron and State Farm Insurance have stepped up and pledged funding for this program, but we are continuing to look for additional resources. In only a month, you can already see how beneficial this program is for all involved. Homeowners receive hope that they will soon have their homes back and are grateful for the work performed by the veterans. As one of the veterans put it, “this is an important program because it gives veterans an opportunity to re-assert themselves back into the workforce and helps them to continue to be a productive citizen in their community while gaining valuable skills. This program is changing my life.” Changing lives, creating jobs, and rebuilding communities are what we do every day here at RTNO; and we believe these are goals that we can all believe in no matter what side of the aisle you’re on.

Jon Skvarka
Interim Director