First Lady Michelle Obama Headlines United Way's Veterans Summit; Leaders Gather To End Veteran Homelessness And Unemployment In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy hosted the Unite for Veterans Summit, an event that brought government, business and civic leaders, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, and more, together to discuss the key issues facing veterans returning to the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Summit also shared best practices in employment and housing to provide veterans with meaningful opportunities after their service.

First Lady Michelle Obama addressed over 900 leaders gathered at the Summit. The Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, spoke at the event, accepting the First Lady's Mayor Challenge to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Elise Buik, CEO of the United Way of Los Angeles called on residents in the County to offer their time to help house and employ veterans returning to the area, and John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco encouraged local business leaders to hire returning veterans.

"Veterans are a particularly rich hiring pool for employers," said John C. Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.  "They have a disciplined background, specialized training, and a proven sense of commitment.  I would think most employers would look to tap those resources, and it's clear by the number of people who've come here today that you're doing just that."

"Creating effective solutions to the challenges that many veterans face requires research, scholarship and conversations involving broad perspectives. USC has long been committed to advancing academic programs and partnerships with business and civic leaders that are focused on expanding opportunities for veterans and their families," said Elizabeth Garrett, USC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Welcome Remarks.

In 2013 there were 4,618 homeless veterans in Los Angeles County, and 65% of them are unsheltered. In addition, one in three post 9/11 veterans are unemployed (18%) or underemployed (17%), which has paved a path for poverty, as nearly 12% of all post-9/11 veterans in the County live at poverty levels. United Way and its partners created Unite for Veterans to drive community awareness and action around employment and housing for veterans who have served our country.

"United Way and our partners created this Summit to showcase the work that is currently being done to help our veterans and determine ways we can extend that work. We're not starting from scratch. Employers hiring veterans tell us they are strong leaders, very disciplined, and understand organizational structure – all key traits businesses are looking for," said Elise Buik, president and CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles. "We're starting to see companies and organizations prioritize hiring veterans, which is a huge win for veterans in LA County and, while the number of homeless veterans is completely unacceptable, our Home for Good initiative has been making strides moving vets into permanent housing. But, we need to keep working, and support needs to come from all organizations collectively throughout the County."

Today's event took place in Los Angeles' Hyatt Regency Century Plaza with federal, state and local officials, business leaders and civic leaders featured sessions that highlighted and shared best practices in recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans. The Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, spoke about Los Angeles' commitment to veterans and then introduced First Lady Michelle Obama. 

"Here in Los Angeles, we can expect some 24,000 post-9/11 veterans to return home between now and 2017, and when they get here, we owe them more than a hug and a smile. We owe them housing, jobs and transition support – the essential resources to ensure that they thrive in the civilian world," said The Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles.

The Mayor then welcomed the First Lady to the stage.

First Lady Michelle Obama said, "If we're going to make a difference on issues like employment and homelessness, we've got to get communities across the country engaged at every level. That means businesses, government and foundations... it means nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and neighbors down the street. And that's why I'm so excited about this conference, because that's exactly what you're doing here in Los Angeles."

Elise Buik, CEO of host United Way of Greater Los Angeles, closed the Summit with two calls to action to attendees, especially business leaders and all individuals across Los Angeles County. "Over the last three years, Home For Good, a joint initiative of United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, has moved over 9,000 veterans from the streets into permanent homes. Today, we are committing to end veteran homelessness. Working together with Mayor Garcetti, businesses and our partners, we will connect 10,000 veterans with meaningful jobs.  Over the next three years, we are committing nearly $3 million to fund veteran-serving organizations that will provide job training and placement," she stated. "We need businesses to commit to hiring veterans and we need individuals to volunteer just a few hours of their time. Three hours of your time can make a huge impact on a veteran's life and just think about how much they've given to protect each and every one of us.  Please pull out your mobile devices and use the #United4Vets hashtag to make a public pledge today."

To see the event in its entirety online, visit: http://www.unitedwayla.org/united4vets/.

About United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit www.unitedwayla.org.

About the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, with branch offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Portland, and a cash processing office in Phoenix, provides wholesale banking services to financial institutions throughout the nine western states. As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve System formulates monetary policy, serves as a bank regulator, administers certain consumer protection laws, and is fiscal agent for the U.S. government. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/sffedreserve.  

About the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy has defined excellence and innovation in public affairs education since 1929.  Ranked 6^th nationwide among 266 schools of public affairs, the Price School is dedicated to teaching and research that advances society through better democratic governance, more effective social policy, and sustainable urban development.  The school's faculty and 12 research centers tackle critical societal issues involving housing policy, nonprofits and philanthropy, health policy and economics, environment and sustainability, economic development, and transportation, among others.  Its graduates shape our world as leaders in government, nonprofit agencies, and the private sector.  Through a time-honored commitment to public service, a legacy of strong connections to professional leaders, and a world-renowned research portfolio, the mission of the Price School is to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad. priceschool.usc.edu

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SOURCE United Way of Greater Los Angeles