Photo by Deb Gau Tim Burley, executive director of the Welcome Home Vet program, spoke about how the program is working to build better support networks for veterans in the Hutchinson area, and to connect veterans with employers.

SLAYTON — As a peer-to-peer counselor, Tim Burley had witnessed the struggles veterans faced after their military service was over. Vets can have a hard time finding a new job and a place to live, on top of questions about financial planning, health care and more. Not all have a support network to help them, he said.

With younger veterans, Burley said, “We talk the talk, but we sometimes don’t walk the walk.”

But it’s possible to change that, he said. On Saturday, Burley, commander of American Legion Post 96 in Hutchinson, talked about some of the work that’s being done to build a stronger veterans support network in the Hutchinson area.

“We have to be visionary,” Burley said. Local communities and employers all benefit from welcoming vets.

Community development, and the ways veterans can contribute to the economy, was one of the topics in the spotlight at an event in Slayton on Saturday. The meeting, organized by the 2nd District of the Minnesota American Legion, covered topics ranging from public relations strategies to employment resources for veterans.

“We set it up as a public and community event to bring awareness” to those resources and opportunities, said Brad Pagel, commander of American Legion Post 64 in Slayton.

“I think it’s something we need,” Pagel said. It would be worth it to be able to help veterans while bringing business back to southwest Minnesota, he said.

As a service organization, the American Legion can help reach out to area veterans and bring community members together, speakers at Saturday’s event said.

Burley is executive director of the new Welcome Home Vet program in the Hutchinson region. Welcome Home Vet works to connect veterans with resources and help with transitioning back into civilian life. Burley said the goal was to start creating a community, bringing organizers together with groups like the city of Hutchinson and the local Economic Development Authority.

“All of us worked together,” Burley said.

Some key parts of the Welcome Home Vet program include building community support networks for veterans, connecting vets with businesses recruiting employees, and helping support veteran-owned businesses.

Veterans are an important part of the workforce and economy in Minnesota, Burley said. An average of 6% of the population in southwest Minnesota counties are veterans, and there are thousands of veteran-owned businesses in Minnesota, he said. Veterans are also more likely to be active and engaged in their communities, he said.

Some of the strategies Welcome Home Vet has pursued include marketing communities and job opportunities to veterans, connecting communities with skilled veterans, and investing in veteran-owned businesses.

“Ninety percent of veterans are employable,” Burley said.

In addition to the Welcome Home Vet program, Saturday’s event also talked about the resources available to veterans through CareerForce offices – formerly known as WorkForce Centers – around Minnesota. Rebecca Kaas gave an overview of her work as a disabled veterans program outreach specialist (DVOPS).

DVOPS work directly with veterans who have disabilities or other significant barriers to employment, Kaas said. DVOPS can help with job searches, networking and interviewing skills.

“Anything we can do to help them get a job, that’s what I do,” Kaas said. She works with vets in a 14-county area of southwest Minnesota. In addition, local veterans employment representatives also work to with business leaders and promote employment opportunities for veterans.

Burley touched on some of the importance of public relations in making community connections. He said service groups like the American Legion should think about why they are telling their story, and ask “Why are you here?”

“I tell people, ‘You’re here because you love,'” Burley said. That included both the love of country and the love of one’s community.