THE BELTWAY BOYS

Mike B., The Hon. Eric Shinseki, Tim D.

Our two case managers Mike and Tim returned from the Homeless Veterans Summit in Washington D.C. this past weekend.  The Conference was put on by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and attended by VA employees and per diem providers from across the nation. 

Mike and Tim besides having a great time in D.C. brought home with them a wealth of information and contacts that we will be able to use to good effect in the near future.  The theme of the conference was "Ending Veteran homelessness in five years". featuring The Secretary of the Veterans Administration, the Hon. Eric Shinseki as keynote speaker.  As evident from the picture, Mike and Tim were fortunate enough to meet the Secretary in person.  Mike and Tim gave a two hour presentation on our program during which they were able to connect with providers from Florida to Alaska and all places in between with housing capacities from 8 to 400 beds.  They both said the break-out sessions were a valuable learning experience on subjects such as the Veterans Justice Outreach program which we feel will be of great value to us.  While in Washington, they also had a meeting with a representative of Senator Patty Murray who represents our district here in Washington state and is the first woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.  They had the meeting to express our appreciation for the tireless work the Senator has done for veterans in our state and nation and to invite her to visit our program.  All in all, it was a great trip and not only an educational experience but a chance to share what we have learned with other providers.  Mike and Tim did an excellent job representing our program and everyone connected with CORD is justly proud of their work.