Advocacy

This year, the Simmy Foundation began a campaign to raise awareness about the WDVA’s VORP program. VORP is the first-of-its-kind and has been nationally recognized as an effective, innovative model. VORP provides case management for Veterans dealing with mental health and substance-abuse issues. Regional coordinators that cover all seventy-two Wisconsin counties, develop a network of partners who are able to assist veterans and their families with a multitude of programs and services such as affordable housing, job training and assistance, emergency funding, and critical health and mental health consultation and treatment. VORP coordinators work within the community to find, build a relationship with and enroll veterans in need in the program. That coordinator then provides a continuum of services and referrals and monitors progress over time. Since 2018, VORP has assisted over 1,000 Veterans in Wisconsin with life-sustaining support.

The Simmy Foundation recognizes that value of a state program like VORP in elevating and empowering local nonprofits, governments and citizens to help veterans. Public/private partnerships like VORP are well positioned to create, scale and sustain impact for veterans and for veteran mental health. The framework of the VORP model helps leverage existing local resources to help more veterans. However, knowledge of VORP is not as widespread as it could be, especially in rural areas.

To help increase awareness and enrollment in the program, the Simmy Foundation is raising funds to create and distribute a digital advertisement, erect billboard advertising and conduct grassroots outreach at various events around the state. The goal of the foundation is to increase enrollment of veterans in the VORP program statewide, but with an emphasis in rural, underserved counties. The Simmy Foundation will work this year to raise awareness in VORP Regions 2-7.

To learn more about VORP, visit https://dva.wi.gov/Pages/benefitsclaims/VORP.aspx