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Delaware County veterans affairs director outlines outreach, housing and survivor gaps; authority to explore seed funding
Summary
Colonel Arthur L. Jenkins Jr., director of the Delaware County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, briefed the authority on county veteran demographics, outreach efforts and service gaps. Members asked staff to explore creating a pooled fund and using the county foundation as a mechanism for donations.
Colonel Arthur L. Jenkins Jr., director of the Delaware County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, briefed the Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority on Sept. 18 about the county’s veteran population, outreach work and unmet needs. Jenkins said the department has been conducting outreach and “sweep” teams to reach homeless and hard-to-reach veterans and recommended coordinated funding to shore up services.
Key points Jenkins gave to the authority:
- County veteran population: Jenkins reported roughly 36,000 veterans in Delaware County, and that workforce-development data indicated about two-thirds of those veterans are age 65 or older. - Most-used benefits: the office most often helps veterans secure real-estate tax exemptions, temporary assistance loans (noted as a $1,600 emergency loan with a one-year reapplication option) and other compensation benefits. - Outreach and sweeps: Jenkins described multi-agency street outreach that identified veterans living unsheltered, and said teams linked some individuals to medical care and VA services via transport to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. - Service gaps: Jenkins highlighted housing instability for veterans, the financial vulnerability of surviving spouses when a veteran dies, and barriers to employment such as childcare and transportation.
Board reaction and next steps: authority members asked Jenkins to identify partner nonprofits that could be recipients of county support and suggested the authority might consider setting aside a “small bucket” of money (a board member mentioned figures such as $50,000 as a hypothetical starting point) to support multiple veteran-serving organizations that coordinate with the county department. Members discussed using the county foundation as a vehicle to accept donor funds and to create a designated fund so the department could raise private donations and manage them for veteran services.
No funding vote taken: the board did not approve any funding at the Sept. 18 meeting. Instead, members agreed to follow up: staff and Jenkins will return with a more developed proposal and with the names of potential partner organizations and operating details for October.
Ending: Jenkins offered to provide specific program proposals and indicated the office would continue sweeps and partnership outreach; authority members asked staff to meet with Jenkins and explore mechanisms — including foundation-held funds — to allow donations and grant support for veteran services.
