Knoxville HUD Office helps Tennessee Veterans at the "Services for Those who served"

Richard McClain, Executive Director of the John City Housing Authority; Chuck Mason, Eastern Eight CDC, Steve Baldwin, Johnson City Community Development Director; Howard Roberts, Construction Analyst HUD Knoxville, Erik Hogland, HUD Community Plan Development, Ed Ellis, HUD Moderator at the podium

Veterans receiving assistance and information

During the May 8, 2015 Veteran's assistance and outreach event entitled "Services for Those who served" conducted in Johnson City, Tennessee and hosted by Congressman (Dr.) Phil Roe, at the Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, TN: the Knoxville HUD Office convened a panel discussion, along with representatives from the US Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Tennessee Small Business Development Center, College of Business and Technology, and East Tennessee State University, designed to help veterans get back on their feet and succeed in the workforce and business.

Ed Ellis, Knoxville Field Office Director, said, "We want to be able to serve our veterans that sometimes don't even know about these opportunities that are out there." Along with the panel discussions, all of the representatives were available to answer questions and provide assistance as needed.

The panel addressed such topics as affordable housing and job opportunities and who to contact for assistance and also information on business start-up and available financial assistance or loans that may be available.

In addition to the panel discussion local area agencies and federal agencies including HUD and VA manned information tables to provide essential information for Veteran and setup follow on appointments to meet one on one as needed.

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