Veterans Place Awarded 100,000 Grant for Opioid Response Program

Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard is pleased to announce that we have received a $100,000 State Opioid Response Grant through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

According to the article “Combat troops at higher risk for opioid, heroin addiction, study says” by the Military Times, VA officials reported that in 2015 they saw a 55% increase in opioid use disorders among veterans following combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2016, the VA reported that they treated around 68,000 veterans opioid use disorders. The article also states that 6,485 veterans in the VA health care system died of opioid-related causes between 2010 and 2016.

Opioid Response Program for Veterans

With the dramatic rise in opioid overdoes deaths among our American Veterans, there is a pressing need to find and provide care for veterans who are struggling with an opioid use disorder.

Using the $100,000 State Opioid Response Grant received through the Veteran Trust Fund- SAMSHA, we will implement an Opioid Response Program under the Veterans Resource Center.

This program will be used to help connect veterans to treatment and will also play a part in reducing the number of overdose-related deaths through education, prevention, treatment, and recovery activities for veterans with an opioid use disorder.

At Veterans Place, our mission is to help Veterans lead more self-sufficient lives by providing them with the tools they need to grow and to thrive. The Opioid Response program is another way we are addressing the issues that affect our Veterans, and we are grateful for the grant that will make these efforts possible.

Please Donate Today to Help our Veterans

Your generous donation will not only help us sustain programs like the Opioid Response Program, but it also supports other valuable programs and funding for supplies that are needed for our Veterans to succeed. Please donate today to aid in our mission of ending homelessness among Veterans.

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Rob Hamilton

Robert (Rob) Hamilton, Executive Director of Veterans Place, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Public Service and is currently completing a masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) in Public Policy and Management. Prior to attending Pitt, Rob served in the United States Army National Guard as a military police officer where he worked in crime prevention and emergency response throughout the state of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Supervisor/Manager Certificate from Penn State University and a Non-Profit Management Certificate from the University of Pittsburgh. Rob is currently a board member of South Hills Pet Rescue and is an elected official of the Lower Burrell City Council in the Public Works Department. He is the Co-Chair of the leadership portion of the Allegheny County/Pittsburgh Veteran Homeless Boot Camp Committee. Rob received the 2018 prestigious Salute Our Heroes Recognition from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Who’s Next 2019: Community Leaders & Activists Award from the Under 40 and Making a Difference: The Incline Award. In 2019 Rob received the VA Challenge Certificate of Appreciation.

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