Serving Those Who've Served: A Look into Veterans Response Teams

Saturday, October 19, 2024

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET

Location: 206AB

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Paul Woodland

Special Agent
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police
Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Speaker(s)

Michelle Burrus

Sergeant
New Castle County Police
New Castle County, Delaware
Cecilia Gonzalez, LCSW

Veterans Homeless and Justice Outreach Coordinator
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
WI

Wesley Ingram

Program Manager
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Delaware
Katharine Stewart, MSW, LCSW

National Coordinator, Veterans Justice Outreach
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

A 2023 Pew Research study found that veterans who have been arrested or incarcerated are twice as likely to commit suicide than those who have not, and veterans are 13% more likely to have contact with law enforcement than the average member of the public. In this session, several local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Veterans Health Administration partners will discuss how they built veterans response teams (VRT) to effectively connect veterans, on a peer-to-peer level, with local resources designed to divert them from the justice system and into treatment programs to address the root cause issues that often lead to law enforcement interaction. Attendees will hear how VRT referrals have saved lives and facilitated positive changes in veterans' lives and be provided with resources to help them start their own teams.