[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 175 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     RECOGNIZING THE ORANGE COUNTY VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES 
                             COLLABORATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HARLEY ROUDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2020

  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Orange County 
Veterans and Military Families Collaborative for its outstanding 
service to the veterans and military families of Orange County, 
California. This organization, a commendable group of dedicated 
professionals and volunteers, embodies the spirit of collaboration and 
demonstrates the power of our community to come together and solve our 
toughest challenges.
  Established in 2012 by a small, passionate group of Vietnam War 
Veterans, who answered yet another call of duty, the Collaborative 
helps to connect veterans, active duty and reserve service members, and 
military families across Orange County to quality benefits, services, 
and community-based opportunities.
  Today, the Collaborative consists of nearly 120 member organizations, 
including businesses, government offices at the federal, state and 
local levels, non-profits, and officials from the Veterans 
Administration. The Collaborative serves the Orange County veteran 
community through eleven focus groups--dealing with critical topics 
like homelessness, education, and employment--and other efforts, such 
as a task force that works with older veterans.
  The Collaborative works to ensure all veterans have a place to call 
home by helping veterans to secure HUD-VASH benefits and by filling the 
gaps for veterans where federal resources are unable to compensate. 
Their Housing Working Group monitors the by-name list of homeless 
veteran populations in Orange County and deploys rapid responses to 
veterans facing homelessness. Their Housing Group has also worked to 
house over 100 veterans and their families over the course of the 
COVID-19 pandemic.
  In addition, the Collaborative has made meaningful progress towards 
addressing the tragedy of suicide among our veterans. In 2019, the 
Collaborative partnered with America's Warrior Partnership to conduct 
Operation Deep Dive, a forensic study on the causes of veteran suicides 
and self-harm. Their commitment to finding solutions to these issues 
reminds us of Congress' own duty and the urgent need to support veteran 
groups working on this issue.
  In 2018, the Collaborative was recognized as the Community Veteran 
Engagement Board for Orange County by the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs, deepening their role as an integral part of the Orange County 
community.
  I ask all Members join me in honoring the Orange County Veterans and 
Military Families Collaborative for their work on behalf of over 
130,000 Orange County veterans and their families.

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