Route 11 VA clinic will fill two jobs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is filling two positions for its clinic at 19472 Route 11 for a team that screens veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless.

The pilot program is part of $3 million Central New York received to reduce homelessness among veterans of the war in Afghanistan and the latest war in Iraq.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center, which oversees the Watertown clinic, received $1 million.

The other $2 million was given to the Utica/Rome/Oneida County Continuum of Care, a homeless-assistance coalition approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The clinic has an administrative support job posted and a peer support position that soon will be posted on a government jobs website, said Judy Hayman, manager of behavioral health at the Syracuse center. Three social workers have been hired for the team.

The administrative support position will help the team with office duties.

For the peer support position, the clinic is looking for a veteran who has experienced homelessness to provide more empathy with others who may be in similar situations.

In addition to assisting homeless veterans, the team members will identify people who are at risk of becoming homeless, Ms. Hayman said.

Families are often the victims of homelessness with the latest generations of combat vets, she said. "It's not your prototypical image of a guy on the street with a cardboard sign."

The extra workers will not affect the flow of the clinic, which lately has experienced short staffing.

"This program has no impact on other existing programs," Ms. Hayman said.

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Government jobs: www.usajobs.gov