What is Vet2Peer?
Vet2Peer is a training and job placement program designed by U.S.VETS and Loyola Marymount University for military veterans who want to support their peers as they transition from military to civilian life.
Participants will draw on their military values – Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Excellence, Devotion to Duty, Personal Courage – throughout the program and into their roles as Peer Specialists. They will reflect on their personal struggles and recovery as they acquire the knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to help their brothers and sisters dealing with mental health conditions or other life challenges.
Graduates of the program earn a Peer Specialist for Veterans Certificate from Loyola Marymount Universit and will work with U.S.VETS Career Development Initivite to find employment in peer roles in veteran-serving organizations, government agencies, community health clinics, recovery centers, and housing and homeless service providers.
Support is an integral part of the program and includes career counseling, job placement services and post-program support for six (6) months.
Why is this program important?
Adjusting to civilian life after the military can be a difficult transition, and too often it is accompanied by health challenges, mental health issues, employment concerns and more. Unless you “have been there,” it is often hard to understand these issues. As the home to the largest concentration of vets in the U.S., the need for Peer Specialists in Los Angeles County is high and increasing.