The White House is today announcing a far reaching new policy to “improve the lives of military families by tackling everything from child-care and financial problems to veteran homelessness and job opportunities for spouses,” Military.com reports.
The policy includes improvements to family psychological health, children’s education, spouse career opportunities and development and improvement to child-care services.
While the child-care improvements had been previously announced, the rest of these initiatives are new.
So far there are very few details on how the Obama administration plans to make any of this happen. The report, the story says, talks of adding new military outreach offices or programs to existing departments. For example, the Education Department plans to make “families a priority for its discretionary grants program,” it says.
Other initiatives include making national parks more friendly to military families as a way to improve psychological health. The Department of Agriculture plans to enhance its partnership with 4-H clubs.
Most interesting, however, is the reported push for more and easier spouse employment. From the story:
The Department of Labor will open the Transition Assistance Program – the career guidance counseling and workshop program long available to separating and retiring servicemembers – to military spouses. DoL will also promote priority hiring of military spouses in its workforce.
Gordon said DoD also plans to expand a successful Army program for spouse employment to all the branches. The Army Spouse Employment Partnership has a support program with more than 40 Fortune 500 companies that, since 2003, have hired more than 90,000 Army spouses. DoD will also provide job counseling and educational stipends to help spouses get the training and education they need to get into the workforce.
Hopefully the White House at today’s announcement will give us more details on how and when this will all rollout. Meanwhile, check out the full Military.com story here.
About Amy Bushatz
Comments
Hopefully, this is really good news. I say hopefully because I've run into so many brick walls when it comes to different programs, mainly because many can only be used in certain locations. I also have a bone to pick about the Army Spouse Employment Partnership with the 40 Fortune 500 companies. I've applied for jobs at some of these companies, but if they don't have you list the fact that you're a military spouse on their applications, (so they can take this into account), how can they say they're trying to help employ spouses? If anyone has had a different experience, I'd love to hear about it.
Michael, I certainly understand – and to some extent agree with – your frustration with that. Interestingly, it's a double-edged sword. Prospective employers are not allowed to ask if you are married (unless, for some strange reason, the position requirements are such that you either must or must not be married). If they ask if you are a military spouse, they are, in effect, asking if you are married. Can't do that. Secondly, I can CLEARLY foresee someone suing a prospective employer for NOT hiring them based on their status as a military spouse. We hear that complaint with some frequency, anyway. I'm not sure what the answer is.
I hope to goodness they not only look at grade school but they also pay attention to the high schools our kids have to attend. It is bad when you can't even go in the neighborhood your daughters school is in because it is so bad but unless we come up with 20,000 to put her in private school there isn't a lot that can be done except for home school.
Enter text right here!O OK HOW ABOUT THE OTHER 15 MILLION UNEMPLOYED WHO ARE BECOMING HOMELESS AND ARE NOT IN SUBSUDIZED HOUSING AND HAVE MEDICAL CARE AND HAVE THERE CHILDREN LIVING IN CARS IN BAD HOODS!
A.J., I am not sure of the point you are trying to make. I think the point of your post is that other people have life situations that are much worse than those that are homeless. Yes the military has some advantages over homeless people, but then so do those that are not homeless. True, a lot of people that are unemployed are losing their houses. It is very unfortunate that you know of three children who are living in their car in a bad neighborhood.
Are you saying that we should provide health care for all? Something that is of great debate in this county right now. Everyone should have basic health care.
Are you saying that anyone who has lost their jobs and their home should be provided with housing at government expense?
It is difficult to comment or offer a free suggestion without knowing what your problem is with this article.
Those people can join the military and get the same benefits then. But they won't, because it's hard. Joining the military means giving your entire life to your government. Every moment of your day belongs to them. The people in the military give their lives to protect and defend this country, and it is one of the federal government's few actual responsibilities to take care of them and their families in return. This is not a socialist country. These benefits aren't free. They cost military members and their families a lot… and sometimes it costs them everything.
As an EX–spouse I can see advantages to these programs. There are many wowen who cannot keep focased on family alone. Many really get pulled away by loneliness for various reasons. Many Husbands find themselves connectrated too much on either the job or their buddies too late. Wife can feel alienated in a new community with too much time on her hands she strays or the husband feels lack of communication with the wife and he strays. I was never a joiner in different clubs as it just didn't appeal to me my family was enough. Not everyone has the maturity to resist temptations of which there are many. Guys and Gals often need companionship which they aren't getting from the spouse. Strange places leave the whole family with separete issues. Everyone is different there will be those who cheat just because it's their thing! Living on or off base doesn't matter these programs in my opinion can make difference. After 61 years of marriage I lost my Beloved 3 years ago. I'm thankful for our many friends and experiences during our Air Force days. Sure their always temptations but the Lord told us there would be.—–LMP
We are stationed in Japan for years. Over half of this information doesn't even apply because we are overseas. If we have a kid, maybe the childcare one will, but we dont have kids. Plus he is gone 300 days out of the year. I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
We are stationed in Okinawa, Japan so most of this doesn't apply for us. It's been the coldest it's ever been here and when I asked why we don't have the heat on in our section of the base I was told that it's because I don't live where the higher ups live. I have a 5 month old and it get's below 50 degrees and all they can say is run the space heaters. I just recently had a friend's mother die from a space heater related fire so I know they can't be run 24/7. I will believe they do something when I see it. I've learned never to get my hopes up with the military because they only let you down.