A $75,000 grant from the Champlin Foundation will help Operation Stand Down Rhode Island complete its legal services center, which the organization expects to open “fairly soon.”
Executive Director Erik Wallin told the Sun Rise on Monday that the facility is in its “final stages” and the Champlin funds cover about half the capital necessary to construct it. About a year and a half ago, OSDRI established a full-time, legal assistance program for veterans, but it has outgrown its current home.
The team features two full-time attorneys handling VA disability and Social Security disability claims, respectively, and a full-time VA claims-certified paralegal. Wallin said these are services already provided at OSDRI’s popular Stand Down Weekend, but will be “much more permanent” and year-round on site at the 1010 Hartford Ave. headquarters.
“This is really important because as much as we work to provide secure and permanent housing, as well as in employment and training, many times these individuals have, as a result of their service, suffered a long-lasting condition – whether that be a physical disability or one of the related mental health illnesses – and by providing them those kinds of legal assistance, you can often add to the household income and create a more stable environment for that individual veteran and their family,” Wallin said.
Wallin said he and OSDRI “greatly appreciate” the Champlin Foundation’s assistance in getting the center up and running. The next steps are to make the center feel like home and moving the team inside.
“We want to make sure that they have a professional environment where they can have confidential communications with their clients and not be in an open area or a closed setting, and it’s critical for anyone who’s coming in for these kinds of services, like they would at any other facility or law firm or office,” he said.
Wallin said that the challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic have made it much more difficult for OSDRI to provide its critical, in-person services as it normally would. Major events like the Boots on the Grounds for Heroes Memorial and the aforementioned Stand Down Weekend were scaled back significantly.
Wallin said he’s proud of his staff for “their willingness to continue to push though and provide in-person services when necessary.”
“There’s been no way for us to completely provide the services that we provide remotely,” Wallin said. “We’re trying to help low-income veterans and many times they don’t have all of the resources that you might find in terms of online capacity, computers – the kinds of things that make working indirectly easier, they lack. So, we’ve been continuing to do that, and the staff has worked well with that, so I’m very proud of them.”
The OSDRI holiday food drive has also felt the pandemic’s ramifications. Usually, employees could drop cans in boxes on their way up to the office, or bring them to church or their kids’ Scouting events. Now with a vast majority of people working from home and most gatherings beyond a few people canceled, OSDRI is adjusting to make sure veterans are well fed.
“Food has always been an integral part of the kind of services that we provide,” Wallin said. “I would say the majority of clients that come to our headquarters are in need of some sort of food assistance. So, with the reduction of the number of people engaging in group activities, you lose that kind of organic food collection that a lot of organizations do and turn over the food to us … And it can be more difficult, because what you find is individuals dropping off a bag here, a bag there, so that’s a lot different than when a company has collected 10 cases of food. “
Wallin said those interested in donating can bring food to the Hartford Avenue headquarters, call the front desk inside and someone will come out to pick it up. Food can be delivered between normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
People may also mail gift cards directly to OSDRI, but Wallin requested smaller amounts like $25 so they can be properly distributed.
“We’ve managed to kind of stay on top of it, but no doubt the demand is high and the supply is low,” Wallin said. “And now what we’ve done is we’re actually bagging them ahead of time, so veterans will get a bag or two of food, depending on what their needs are, pre-selected foods so we can keep the food pantry safe for our staff and volunteers to make those bags up.”
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