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Columbia Basin Veterans Center outlines services, housing plans and regionwide outreach in Pasco presentation
Summary
Executive Director Christopher Dare described veterans therapeutic court, housing support and outreach programs and requested city collaboration. Staff and council discussed grant coordination and noncash ways the city can assist; a public commenter with VA nursing experience urged local support.
Christopher Dare, executive director of the Columbia Basin Veterans Center, told the council the nonprofit provides court-based mentorship, housing assistance, resource navigation and community events aimed at preventing veteran homelessness and suicide.
Dare said the center operates regionally and currently runs recovery- and housing-focused homes in Kennewick and Richland. "We serve the whole region," he said, adding the organization does not take funds directly from veterans and relies on grants and fundraising. He described a planned signage campaign to help veterans find services during November and said the center will host a veterans resource expo Nov. 14 that has historically served about 600 people.
Dare said programs include a Veterans Therapeutic Court that pairs volunteer mentors with veterans navigating legal or behavioral-health challenges, a rotating "coffee bunker" breakfast, and outreach aimed at suicide prevention. He told the council the center serves roughly "4,000 or 5,000 a year" in a variety of ways and said local cooperation improves grant competitiveness: "Collaboration is key," he said.
Council members asked about on-the-ground needs and potential city roles. Staff and Dare discussed that the center is a nonprofit, not a VA office, that it hosts VA staff in its facility, and that city support could include event promotion, nonfinancial collaboration and referrals. A member of the public who worked in VA acute care said local veterans deserve more support and praised the center.
Dare also asked for the council's help coordinating a regional "group think" among nearby cities and counties to improve veteran services and resource sharing.
What happens next: staff and the center will follow up on logistics for signs, event details and nonfinancial collaboration; the center expects to continue pursuing grants and local fundraising.
