City of Jackson hosts resource fair, connecting veterans to essential services

Jackson hosted a one-stop shop resource fair event at the T.R. White Sportsplex on Friday, connecting veterans to housing, employment, health, legal, and support services.

Dozens of state and local services set up booths with representatives including those from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Internal Revenue Service, West Tennessee Legal Services, Disabled American Veterans, Town and County Realtors, and the Regional Inter-Faith Association.

The centralized location of the resources, and the sheer number of them present, permitted veterans the chance to seek information and aid from many booths as they wanted.

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Executive Director of Tennessee Homeless Solutions Amy McDonald shared that 443 homeless veterans have been housed since 2012 through its Support Services for Veterans and Families Program. An additional 209 preventions were made for those veterans who were at risk of homelessness.

McDonald added that she currently knows of two homeless veterans in Madison County and two outside of county limits.

The event drew a substantial crowd of those seeking service, with many trickling in and out throughout the four-hour window.

Veterans, like Kenneth Jones, were one of several on Friday who shared their testimony, inspiring others like him to take the first step in getting the help they may need.

"Most importantly they need to know that there's things they can do or they can get help and not feel ashamed," Jones said. "Sometimes you just need somebody who can encourage you without telling you where you are or what you need to be doing. This is a friendly way of getting to you and talking you into it by giving you the confidence to stand up and say 'I need some help.'"

Jones, who served in the U.S. Navy for three years, believes that pride is often a source of impeding a veteran's ability to initiate the conversations of assistance.

He says resource fairs like these are important because they allow veterans to see how many services are at their disposal.

"This was my opportunity to tell them to just knock on the door because the door is always open," he said.

Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing here .

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: City of Jackson hosts resource fair, connecting veterans to essential services