Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey (WHVNJ), is an entirely volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping our service men and women overcome obstacles in their return to civilian life. America asked these stalwart men and women to possibly die in its defense and yet, when they return home, the support provided is often inadequate. We strive to provide former service members from all conflict eras, legal assistance as well as help with access to medical services, housing and jobs.
WHVNJ is composed of family members, friends, coworkers, civic organizations and businesses, all supporting our soldiers and their families. Most of our members are veterans themselves or of the generation that lived through the Vietnam conflict. Many veterans were not received home with the respect they earned, nor were they cared for properly upon their return. Homelessness, unemployment and lack of specialized medical care are among the problems we help our vets overcome.
An important part of our mission is to solicit, engage and network to identify veterans who are in need, not all of whom are obvious and not all of whom readily come forward. Our goal is simple: Take care of our military families; our soldiers and veterans in need.
Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey was created on July 24, 2009, when it became evident that GI’s returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families who remained behind in New Jersey had very important and unmet needs.
The length and difficulty of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fought by an all-volunteer army, caused great stress due to the constant deployment and re-deployment of a relatively small number of men and women. The uncertainty of the current severe economic recession at home substantially exacerbates that stress and concern for many of these same GIs. Many have been mustered out only to find their mortgages underwater and in some cases, their homes lost to foreclosure. The strain on married life is immense. Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey accepts the obligation to ensure that we do not ignore the health and welfare issues of those who have served us courageously and at great cost and risk.
Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey works in tandem with other groups in NJ that are also assisting active duty and retired military personnel. This includes the Department of Veterans Affairs so that we can provide economic stability, housing and other social services for veterans to reconstruct their lives. Although Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey limits its mission to military personnel in New Jersey, we can refer service members to similar groups in other geographic regions. We have developed a relationship with the New Jersey Bar Association and if need be other state bars for legal assistance.