The Nevada County Consolidated Veterans Council (NCCVC) meets monthly and is represented by a member of the local Veterans Services Organizations. The NCCVC was formed with the intention of building strong collaborative efforts between local veterans services organizations to provide better wrap-around services for local veterans and advocate for locally for veteran’s needs. During the November 2020 meeting the quality of the Internet and phone systems at the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Building was introduced to the council as a major obstacle of providing technical training to those veterans who need assistance securing substantial employment opportunities. It was also argued that an upgrade to the phone systems would help ensure that no veterans calls for assistance go unanswered.
In September of 2019 the Nevada County Veterans Services Office (CVSO) was awarded a one-time payment of $15,000 from the CalVet Prop 63 Grant. This funding was given to the CVSO with the objective of making it easier to connect veterans to mental health services. The newly installed Director of Social Services Rachel Roos gave the approval for the CVSO to research the cost and legality of upgrading the Internet and phone systems at the Grass Valley Memorial Veterans Hall. Then in early February the CVSO received approval from county leadership to submit payment for the cost of the installation of the Internet upgrades, installation of new phone system, and the cost of all services for one year. It is expected that the overall cost of this project will exceed $10,000 to uphold the commitment of covering all costs for one year of services.
Upgrades to the Internet and phone systems will soon begin taking place within the building. The Veterans Service Organizations who conduct business in the building will now have Internet access on their own server that is separate from the county. This new Internet system will also provide an opportunity for the NCCVC to pull each other’s resources together to introduce computer labs, aid veterans applying for jobs, and allow opportunities for better access to emergency services.
The Nevada County Veterans Services Officer is extremely proud of this project. It is a representation of the great things that can be achieved when every organization that serves veterans pulls their resources together to achieve a common goal for the good of our community.
As more individuals within our community receive their vaccinations and we continue to trend in the right direction these opportunities for collaboration will only increase. The CVSO looks forward to the continued collaborations with the NCCVC to identify solutions to the obstacles that are in the way of the veterans that we serve.
David West is the Nevada County Veterans Service Officer. Reach him at (530) 265-1446 or david.west@co.nevada.ca.us. The Nevada County Veteran’s Services Office, 988 McCourtney Rd, Grass Valley, CA, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.