Mayor Ras J. Baraka, joined Council Member-at-Large Louise Scott-Rountree, and other dignitaries today to cut the ribbon to officially open the City of Newark’s Veterans Service Office. The office is located in City Hall, Room B-13, at 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Boulevard (formerly Broad Street).
The event featured a ceremony in the City Hall Rotunda, honoring eight local veterans for their service and sacrifice.
The new facility will help Newark veterans secure services they are entitled to through the GI Bill, and navigate the processes for obtaining education and training, housing, loans, medical and mental health care and other state and federal programs.
“Newark’s veterans have served our nation with a depth of commitment that transcends political boundaries – to uphold the values of liberty, freedom, and democracy across the globe,” said Mayor Baraka. “They enter into service with no guarantee of the outcome, no assurance for their personal safety and no fool-proof protection of their physical and mental wellbeing. It is a level of sacrifice met only by our bravest, and one deserving of immense gratitude and every possible compensation. This office is Newark’s way of honoring and thanking those who joined the armed forces for our benefit. I thank Council Member Scott-Rountree and everyone else for their making it a reality.”
“The City of Newark and the State of New Jersey Veterans Affair have formed a partnership to service our veterans,” said Council Member-at-Large Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree. “Veterans from all walks of life deserve to be provided with a venue to assist them with God-given services that they are entitled to receive. Newark, with the State Veterans Office and Vet4U as our partners, will accommodate those who have served, and their families, because they have sacrificed so much and gone to spaces that some would dare not go. We are doing what we are supposed to do. I would like to thank Mayor Baraka, the administration, and my council colleagues, for their full support of this endeavor and assisting with carrying this vision forward.”
As chair of the New Jersey General Assembly’s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker expressed her gratitude to the mayor and the partners who have made the new office a reality, and especially the veterans themselves. “I just want to say thank you to the men and women in the military for their service and sacrifice for our nation,” she said.
“The State of New Jersey Veterans Service Office is please to share this new space with the City of Newark in City Hall,” said Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Vincent Solomeno. “Our intent is to improve accessibility so that all Essex County Veterans have a point of entry to learn about and receive the benefits that they have earned through their service. I wish to thank the City of Newark, especially Council Member at Large Louise Scott-Roundtree, for their partnership and continued commitment to serving those who served.”
“At VET4U, we recognize the strength in diversity and the power of collaboration,” said Janna Williams, Founder & Executive Director, VET4U. “Through this partnership with the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey, we will be able to address the unique challenges facing veterans, working together to find solutions to even the most complex issues. Our commitment to supporting those who have served is grounded in experience, compassion, and a shared drive to create lasting, positive change for veterans in our community and beyond."
The Newark Veterans’ Service Office will assist the city’s many veterans, who are often unaware of their eligibility and pathways to the full range of benefits ranging from health care and education assistance, to home loan and housing access and the city’s specialized carpentry training to build Newark with its own skilled trades members. Without proper guidance and navigation, these benefits and programs can go unclaimed or under claimed, and lead to quality-of-life concerns for Newark’s vets. To address these issues, the office will host educational workshops to help vets qualify for service-connected benefits and then professionally expedite the process. Its strength-based approach through peer connection and empowerment will provide compassionate service and ease access to benefits.
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