Challenge
The growing City of Lacey had become the number one off-base housing choice for active-duty military serving at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and was also home to a growing veterans population. Unfortunately, most of the services available to the military community were located in Tacoma, a significant trip up heavily congested I-5. The mayor of Lacey wanted to bring resources to military families in the community, but the VA’s budget was capped and there wasn’t a clear solution to establishing new services despite the growing demand.
Approach
CFM worked with Senator Patty Murray, an advocate for military families, to help Lacey communicate directly with the Veterans Administration and the Senate Appropriations Committee. CFM worked with the City of Lacey to collect important data on the need for additional resources and services and lobbied for the creation of a new Veterans Center in Lacey.
Success
Despite budget constraints at the Veterans Administration, we were able to work through bureaucratic obstacles to establish the new Veterans Center and ensure veterans in the South Sound region receive the benefits and care they earned. This was the first new Veterans Center established in more than 10 years. The array of services includes Readjustment Counseling Services – a crucial function of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – and a broad range of other counseling, outreach and referral assistance to eligible Active-Duty service members, veterans, and their families.
