With Montgomery County’s enactment of the Veterans Treatment Court in 2015, veterans have had improved access to county programs and an opportunity to learn more about employment and mental health benefits.

According to Montgomery County Veterans Services, last year there were 39,141 veterans in the county, which is 10 percent of the population. There are approximately 1.5 million working age veterans today in the state of Texas.    

Kay Lee, veterans county service officer, said the most common inquiry is employment.

“We’re close to a major city so we do see a lot of veterans in our area,” Lee said. “We’re seeing a lot of young veterans, and that’s due to them getting the information they need to take advantage of their benefits. Job programs are probably what are still most needed. We get a lot of calls looking for employment.”

Veteran employment opportunities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20 percent of veterans in the state of Texas, or 313,630 individuals, are unemployed or under employed.

The county, along with local nonprofit organizations, have developed a number of services for unemployed veterans that have been successful.

One of the resources that became available to Montgomery County veterans in September is Lone Star Military Maintenance, which is a branch of the U.S. Military Maintenance Network of commercial janitorial companies. The resource is a nationwide initiative to reduce veteran unemployment.

Owner John McDermott is also a veteran of the U.S. Army and said after he left the Army, his biggest struggle was adjusting to civilian life and finding a job.

“I struggled for quite awhile and thought I was the only one,” McDermott said. “It was the basis of finding a job and reacclimating. I was in the active duty for 15 years, and the world had moved on. I’ve helped veterans ever since I got out.”

McDermott said he decided to join U.S. Military Maintenance, which is set up in areas with high veteran unemployment numbers and employs them immediately. The program also trains veterans to be business owners while they perform cleaning and custodial duties for customers.

“When you don’t re-enlist, then you have about 30 to 60 days to pack up your family and find civilian jobs,” he said. “So it’s lacking time on veterans. And a lot of them struggle with soft skills, like building a resume and doing job interviews. U.S. Maintenance provides socioeconomic stabilization.” 

Lee said the county sees high interest in employment fairs and employment resources every year.

“We’ll have our third veterans employment job fair this year, and we do that with a lot of employers and bring other resources in,” she said. “Turnout is very good; last year we saw over 120 veterans coming in. When we compared to what they were doing in Houston, we saw more veterans than the Minute Maid Park [job fair] brought in. I think we need more companies to step up to the plate and show support for our veterans.”

Veterans Treatment Court

Veterans Treatment Court began in 2015, and its objective is to serve veterans and active-service members with mental illness and substance use due to military service, which was a contributing factor in their misdemeanor or felony criminal offense.

Lee said the court is a benefit for veterans as it allows them to receive a fresh start after completing the program. She said it also makes it easier to find employment.

“Basically it allows those veterans with minor offenses, like [a] DWI, to wipe their record,” she said. “It is a commitment. It’s like a two-year program. They have to go to counseling; there’s a lot of mental health assistance. It’s good because they’re able to get help and, secondly, if they are looking to obtain a job, this allows them a fresh start.”

Ashley Taylor, mentor coordinator for the Veterans Treatment Court, said the program is active and a successful initiative.

“It’s awesome,” Taylor said. “We have 25 veterans processing right now through the court. It’s a two-year program treatment plan created for whatever diagnosis they have. It’s been a success, and we have a couple of graduates coming up soon.”

The treatment court also assists with other debilitating factors, such as unemployment and homelessness. To qualify for the program, a defendant must be charged with a criminal offense in Montgomery County and be a U.S. veteran, on active duty or in the reserves or National Guard.

Taylor said once veterans realize the number of resources available to them it is always a pleasant surprise. Taylor also said there are more mental health resources that veterans still have yet to access.

“It’s really cool and surprising once you learn how much is out there,” she said. “It’s very common for the veteran population to not know about all the resources.”