Swords to Plowshares’ Toolbox.vet, funded by the Walmart Foundation, aims to empower people to better connect with our nation’s veterans and assist them
SAN FRANCISCO – America’s longest war will draw to a close in Afghanistan in September, but advocates say reckoning with the impact of those wars will stretch decades into the future, and a new online library aims to better equip advocates and providers with the tools they need to connect with veterans of all ages and assist them.
Developed by Swords to Plowshares and funded in partnership with the Walmart Foundation, Toolbox.vet is unique in that it blends written content with podcast audio and video conversations with real veterans and advocates. So while you are reading content online, you can also hear real people talk about the issue at-hand. Chapters are also available in audio formats, making it convenient to learn and build your competencies in veterans advocacy and support.
Content is broken up into 10 chapters, with chapters 1-4 debuting online on May 17, 2021. These chapters will discuss the history of veterans advocacy (it hasn’t always been easy), military-veteran culture, veteran mental and behavioral health, and veteran physical health.
Chapters 5-10 will be published to the site by Monday, June 14 and discuss accessing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, trauma-informed care and designing spaces and services to welcome veterans, supporting unhoused veterans, education benefits for veterans, employment and training services for veterans, and administrative best practices when assisting veterans.
Swords to Plowshares will offer free webinars monthly from May through September to spotlight key elements of Toolbox.vet such as aging veterans, assisting homeless veterans, understanding VA benefits and more.
The next webinar will be “Combat to Community: Veteran Culture Training for Providers and Advocates.” It will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 3pm-5pm ET (12pm-2pm PT). Anyone can sign up to attend by going to: http://ow.ly/vZt350EOxc2
Social workers, counselors, educators, employers, health care professionals, government workers, advocates, providers, and community leaders are all people who can benefit from using the resources available on Toolbox.vet.
There are approximately 18 million veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and they make up about 7 percent of the total U.S. population. Of that number, the largest cohort of veterans alive today (6.4 million), served in the Vietnam War era (1964-1975). The second largest cohort of veterans served during peacetime (4 million). The Iraq and Afghanistan wars were fought by 2.77 million people, and about half of them deployed more than once.
Toolbox.vet was funded with the support of the Walmart Foundation. The Walmart Foundation has provided critical support for Swords to Plowshares services to strengthen the system of care for veterans since 2013.
About Swords to Plowshares
Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, rapid re-housing and eviction prevention services, employment and training, supportive housing, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, homeless and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting https://www.swords-to-
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