AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Army Veteran Jordan Kelch knows how to turn his personal struggles into support for Texas’ most vulnerable veterans. Based in Austin, he works to provide financial support for veterans and their families through Goodwill Central Texas’ Veteran Support program.
Kelch enlisted in the Army in 2008 as a field artilleryman and deployed to Iraq in 2009.
“I had a rough time when I got back. I mean, I think a lot of people do,” Kelch explained. “In the army, there’s a lot of parts of real life that you don’t have to deal with as much. Housing and medical care are not something you have to worry about. When you leave, suddenly there’s all this stuff coming at you and it’s very stressful.”
Funded through the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veteran’s Assistance, Kelch matches financial assistance for veterans, dependents and surviving spouses for anything from rent, mortgage, utilities and food.
But he also wants to get the word out about the bigger issue at hand: too many veterans fall through the cracks when they return home from military service, he said.
“I’ve had plenty of clients who have come in who have had plenty of problems. Had they come in three months earlier, five months earlier, it might’ve been a speed bump, but now it’s a crisis,” he said. “I like helping vets. I like helping vets who have not been helped by the institutions that are in place.”
Kelch said he helps around 100 people a year, but wants the program and funding to grow. He said the doors at Goodwill Central Texas are always open, if those who need it ask for help.
“I think a lot of vets out there need to be seeking help,” he said. “They’re my people. So, I feel obligated, compelled to help them.”
If you or someone you know can benefit from Goodwill Central Texas, you can find more resources here.
Credit: Source link
