Project Grant 19VSPCA004

BY USING THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LARGE SCALE SOCIAL CHANGE REQUIRES CROSS-SECTOR COORDINATION. IT INVOLVES A COMMITMENT OF A GROUP OF IMPORTANT ACTORS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS TO A COMMON AGENDA TO SOLVE A SPECIFIC SOCIAL PROBLEM. USING THE PILLARS OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT, WE HAVE A COMMON AGENDA, SHARED MEASUREMENT, MUTUALLY REINFORCING ACTIVITIES, CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATIONS, AND BACKBONE SUPPORT. WITH THIS IN MIND, THE SAN DIEGO VETERANS COALITION (SDVC) RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS APPROVAL TO ASSUME THE MANTLE OF LEADERSHIP FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY INTERMEDIARY PROGRAM FROM 2-1-1'S ORIGINAL AMERICORPS VISTA GRANT, WHICH THEY HAVE HAD FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. THE TRANSITION WILL BE SEAMLESS TO EXTERNAL AGENCIES AND PARTNERSHIPS. SDVC WILL CONTINUE WITH THE COLLABORATIVE SUPPORT OF THE EXISTING PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS: VETS' COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS (VCC) AND SAN DIEGO MILITARY FAMILY COLLABORATIVE (SDMFC). THESE THREE CORE ORGANIZATIONS AND A TOTAL OF (7) SEVEN VISTAS WITH A VISTA LEADER, WILL PROVIDE CROSS-SECTOR COORDINATION, AND WORK A SUCCESSFUL "COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL." THIS MODEL INVOLVES THE COMMITMENT OF A GROUP OF IMPORTANT ACTORS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS TOWARDS A COMMON AGENDA TO SOLVE A SPECIFIC SOCIAL PROBLEM, SHARED MEASUREMENT, MUTUALLY REINFORCING ACTIVITIES, CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATIONS, WITH BACKBONE SUPPORT. WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY EXPERIENCED GREAT SUCCESS WITH MEASURED OUTCOMES IN THE PROJECT THUS FAR AND CAN SEE AN EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR NOT ONLY OUR PROJECT BUT FOR THE VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGHOUT SAN DIEGO COUNTY WITH AN ADDITIONAL YEAR. WE INTEND TO DEMONSTRATE OUR MODEL OF SUCCESS TO OUR SDVC MEMBERSHIP VETERAN CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS AND FIND NEW PATHS TO CAPACITY BUILD AND EXPAND OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO FIGHT POVERTY AND IMPROVE THE WELLNESS OF OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY AND THEIR FAMILIES, IN THE FUTURE. WE REQUEST THAT THE APPROVAL OF OUR GRANT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING VISTA RESOURCES: 1 VISTA LEADER 2 VISTAS: VETERANS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS (VCC) 2 VISTAS: SAN DIEGO MILITARY FAMILY COLLABORATIVE (SDMFC) AND 3 VISTAS: SAN DIEGO VETERAN COALITION (SDVC). PLEASE REFER TO THE VISTA ASSIGNMENT SECTION FOR A DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF THE ACTIVITIES. BACKGROUND: SAN DIEGO HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY COMMANDS AND THE MOST SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL IN THE COUNTRY. THERE ARE NINE MAJOR COMMANDS,120,000 ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL, WITH MORE THAN 150,000 DEPENDENTS. WHEN 15,000 MILITARY MEMBERS LEAVE THE SERVICE A YEAR, 33% REMAIN IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 267,000 VETERANS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. VCC IS DESIGNED TO HOLISTICALLY SERVE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO SERVE AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY. ALSO, COLLABORATION IS REQUIRED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. IT PROVIDES BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO DO MORE THAN SAY "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE" THE CHANNEL TO USE THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE TO RESPOND TO VETERAN AND MILITARY FAMILY RELOCATION AND REINTEGRATION QUESTIONS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF FIELDS. ONLY APPROXIMATELY 1% OF AMERICANS HAVE SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES, AND RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT ONLY 5-10% OF AMERICANS PERSONALLY KNOW A VETERAN. THIS DIVIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMUNITY BEING PART OF REINTEGRATION EFFORTS. VCC SPECIFICALLY SERVES VETERANS, ACTIVE DUTY, AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS AS WELL AS BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN OFFERING SERVICES OR PRODUCTS. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS TO HAVE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES MORE EASILY AND FULLY REINTEGRATE INTO COMMUNITIES FOLLOWING MILITARY SERVICE, FACILITATING THEIR ABILITY TO LEAD HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, FINANCIALLY SECURE LIVES. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WILL GAIN A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE IN THE MILITARY TRANSITIONING TO VETERAN AND CIVILIAN LIFE, AND THE TALENTS THEY BRING TO THE COMMUNITY.