Bridging the Gap The Veterans Transition Center Provides Tools for Self Sufficiency

By Brett Wilbur

Carmel Realty Company Broker and Managing Director Bill Mitchell has been involved with the Veterans Transition Center of California for over a decade, a nonprofit located on the site of the former Fort Ord military base in Marina. Mitchell first volunteered as a contributor, then as a member of the VTC Advisory Board.

A former Air Force pilot, Mitchell knows first-hand the challenges veterans face after they come back to civilian life.

“Like so many other vets, our return from the war in Vietnam was treated by many with disrespect—even contempt,” he says. “Fortunately, over the years this has changed, and today’s vets are properly honored for their service. But along that road, many got lost. I’ve found that a surprising number of those homeless, troubled vets are right here in Monterey County. When I learned about the VTC and its mission, I wanted to get involved.”

Mitchell points out the scope of services VTC provides is much more than housing for homeless vets, but also food, clothing, critical personal case management, life skills, substance abuse counseling, employment training, jobs and more. And, he says, the results that veterans in the program have achieved are exemplary.

“I witnessed the hard work of the Board and its staff and ever since, I’ve been amazed at the impressive results they have achieved,” Mitchell says. “With little fanfare, very little publicity, the VTC was quietly doing important work in turning around the lives of these fellow vets. As an insider, I learned that this is a ‘no frills’ organization with a very limited budget. Any donor can be assured that every penny of one’s contribution will go directly into the program for maximum impact with impressive outcomes.”

Kurt Schake is a retired US Air Force Colonel who is the executive director of the VTC. He points out that while the center is the recipient of state and federal funding, it is a nonprofit which allows it to be flexible and adaptive to the emerging needs of its participants. On any given day, VTC houses 110 veterans and their family members. The VTC has helped over 16,000 veterans since opening in 1996.

“We offer a range of services that other veteran service programs usually don’t have the capacity for,” he says. “We have housing through seven different models at VTC, as well as veteran services off-site.”

Soon, the opening of the Lightfighter Village complex next to the current facilities will provide 71 additional units of permanent affordable housing for veterans, and in 2023, a former federal government building in Seaside will be converted into a Veteran Center of Excellence, which will include a commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be a partnership with Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, which will expand its meal capacity ten-fold, while also serving as a training and employment program for veterans.

Schake points out that the goal of the VTC is to teach selfsufficiency and to empower vets in crisis with the tailored services they need to succeed.

One of those programs, Veterans Healing Veterans from the Inside Out (VHV), involves intervention with veterans who are incarcerated, teaching life skills, and then providing all VTC services as well as mandated counseling and group activities. VHV is a division of VTC, which was founded by former marine Ron Self. Through his efforts, Soledad Prison has become the first “Veterans Hub” in the nation, with VHV as the service provider.

“The goal of the VHV Long-Term Offender Recovery and Re-entry program is to re-integrate veterans back into society,” says Self. “We are very proud that not a single program participant has returned to prison. This zero percent recidivism is unmatched in the state.”

Chris Simmons, a previously incarcerated vet who is currently residing at VTC, exemplifies that success. Simmons, a former culinary specialist and intelligence officer on a guided missile destroyer, left the military in 2008, when he was incarcerated. Simmons went through the VHV program with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations, obtaining early release due to the incredible transformations in his outlook and actions. When released, a VHV caseworker picked him up, took him to breakfast, and drove him from San Diego to Marina. Simmons is now taking classes at Monterey Peninsula College in Business Administration while looking for a permanent residence.

Simmons’s dog Admiral accompanies him and eases the transition back into civilian life. Admiral was saved from a kill shelter and is undergoing training to be service animal for post-traumatic symptom disorder (PTSD). While he sadly lost his leg in his formerly abusive circumstances, he is now thriving through his mutual bond and rehabilitation with Simmons, who explains the reasons for his early release from prison.

“I hate to sound cliché, but good behavior is one of the things they look at,” Simmons shares. “Also, I made lifestyle changes and belief changes, changing my overall mentality and psyche as a person and as a man…That’s through extensive work through classes, alcohol and drug counseling, getting in touch with the community and various organizations that come into the prisons…I became a licensed mediator and conflict management specialist through conflict resolution courses…I’m a Toastmaster… it’s not just a matter of giving speeches, but also leadership development and team building exercises. So much so, that during my last five years of being incarcerated, I was a mentor in the alcohol and drug counseling program. I finished the program and gave back to others who were struggling with addiction.”

VTC Communications Director Wendy Phillips explains, “Someone as motivated as Chris really benefits from all aspects of our program.”

Phillips points out that the VTC is not just “a soup kitchen with a warm bed,” but really a comprehensive resource to ensure the most probable successful outcomes for veterans. One of the programs Phillips helps manage is ensuring transportation to job interviews. Many veterans gain experience working at the Last Chance Mercantile, a resale store run by the VTC that keeps items out of landfill.

As for Chris Simmons, he says his transformative outlook included becoming accountable while also benefitting from the transitional support of the VHV to acclimate to a world that had changed greatly in the years he was absent from it.

“I had to go beneath the surface level, and once I was taught that only I could do the necessary changes for my life, I made a decision that it was time for a change within,” Simmons says. “I plan on living a long successful life after this…I’m imperfect, but adequate is fine.”

The Finkle Team Partners with Veterans Transition Center of California

Maria Finkle, who is a broker associate at Carmel Realty Company and Monterey Coast Realty, lives in Marina where many of the residents are veterans.

“I am inspired by every conversation I have had with a neighbor who is a veteran,” she says. “Each one of them has had a different journey but they are bonded by the extreme sacrifices that they made for every American, including me, and that makes us want to give back. The Finkle Team will be donating a percentage of our sales this year to the VTC and will help get volunteers to support their needs as well.”

To learn more or donate, please visit VTCofCalifornia.org or call 831-833.VETS.

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