North Bay will be the site of a new Veteran Family Pilot Program.
The initiative was launched this morning at the Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence at CFB North Bay this morning.
North Bay has been targeted as one of seven locations across the country to offer the program which is geared to support medically released military members and their families.
“It brings a lot of hope to the military community and to veterans that we are now able to provide services for medically released members and their families,” said Veteran Family Local Coordinator Tina Thomason.
“It’s going to provide a safety net, it’s going to provide navigation services, so there’s many processes involved in medically releasing from the military and also receiving services from Veterans Affairs. It can be confusing, it can be lengthy, so this program will help navigate those different systems as well as help connect people to civilian services.”
Maureen Kennedy has had to make the transition from military to civilian herself. Kennedy is a board member with the Military Family Resource Centre in North Bay.
From her experience, she believes the new services will definitely help ease that transition.
“Transitioning from military lifestyle to civilian lifestyle can be challenging on all levels,” said Kennedy.
“Navigating the different programs while adjusting to civilian life can be overwhelming for not only the veterans but their spouses, children, parents and other family members.
The program is a partnership between the North Bay Military Family Resource Centre, Veterans Affairs Canada and Military Family Services.
Officials at the event say the Veteran Family Program can be accessed through self-referral, medical or community referral.
