Five Questions With: Erik B. Wallin

Erik B. Wallin is the executive director and general counsel of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. The nonprofit organization aids veterans and in early November will open a new service center facility at its headquarters in Johnston.
Erik B. Wallin is the executive director and general counsel of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. The nonprofit organization aids veterans and in early November will open a new service center facility at its headquarters in Johnston.

Erik B. Wallin is the executive director and general counsel of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, which provides services to veterans. The nonprofit organization in early November will open a new service center facility at its headquarters in Johnston. Wallin spoke recently with the Providence Business News about the housing challenges facing the state’s nearly 70,000 veterans.

PBN: What is the mission of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island and the origin of its name?
WALLIN:
Operation Stand Down Rhode Island’s mission is to assist veterans in transitioning from the military to civilian life and to assist veterans in need with supportive services including housing, temporary financial assistance, employment training and placement services, and provision of basic human needs such as food and clothing. In the military “Standdown” refers to a temporary cessation of offensive actions which allowed troops to come off the line of combat and attend to needs such as medical or moral and welfare, so they would be better able to return to the battle ready to fight again. The founders of Operation Stand Down RI, which includes President and Chairman Tony DeQuattro, felt the term represented the very mission of the organization, which was to allow veterans in need, for example, homeless veterans, to step back from their daily fight and get the hand up they need so they could return to the mission of the pursuing the American dream they fought to defend and preserve.

PBN: What kinds of services will be available to veterans through the expanded center in Johnston?
WALLLIN:
Veterans will be able to receive assistance from our staff, all of whom are veterans or members of veteran families, in accessing housing, temporary financial assistance, employment and training services, and food and clothing. For those services not directly provided by OSDRI such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, case managers will work to assist the veteran in coordinating treatment with the Providence VA Medical Center or other partner organizations.

PBN: What kinds of challenges are veterans encountering with housing?
WALLIN:
Although flawless counts are impossible to come by, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 49,933 veterans are homeless on any given night. Veterans face the same complex set of factors that cause homelessness in the general civilian population. For example, in Rhode Island an extreme shortage of affordable housing and the lack of jobs paying a livable income. Added to those challenges is the fact that many veterans, especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffer from some sort of mental health issue. Veterans Administration data shows that of the 1 million troops that left active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan from 2002 to 2009, of the 46 percent that actually came into the VA, nearly half were diagnosed with a mental health problem, the most prevalent being post-traumatic stress disorder. This can have negative impacts on family and social supports for the veteran. Unemployment or underemployment is another major factor impacting housing. Veterans who came back from deployments, especially members of the Rhode Island National Guard, returned to a state with at times some of the highest unemployment in the country. They found the businesses they worked for closed or their jobs eliminated. Add to that, military occupations and training are not always transferable or easily communicated to the civilian workforce.

- Advertisement -

PBN: What are some of the issues they face in finding rentals and/or permanent housing?
WALLIN:
One of the biggest challenges veterans face in locating rentals or permanent housing is the cost, access to funds to pay security deposits and [finding] locations near public transportation. This is one reason why OSDRI’s many supportive services are helpful. For example, if a veteran is literally homeless and meets income guidelines, OSDRI will pay the security deposit and temporarily assist the veteran with rent for up to nine months depending on each specific circumstance. That allows us the time to assist the veteran in either getting or upgrading employment or identifying benefits they have earned through their service. Additionally, we can provide a bus pass to get them to and from interviews and initial employment. If there is a legal impediment to their driving, we can often assist with that as well.

PBN: What will the new center will look like, and how much did it cost to build?
WALLIN:
The Veteran Service Center, at 1010 Hartford Ave., Johnston, will be fully completed and dedicated on Nov. 9 at a 12:30 p.m. ceremony. It is being dedicated in memory of one of our fellow veterans and longtime volunteers, Thomas A. Poole. The facility cost approximately $120,000, which was contributed by The Champlin Foundations, Citizens Bank and through many small individual donations. The building will offer private offices for our veterans to discuss with case managers extremely private and personal matters which have caused them to find themselves in need of assistance. Additionally, a new training room will permit OSDRI to host programs relating to credit counseling, job interview techniques, computer skills upgrades and other pertinent skills relating to employment.

No posts to display

3 COMMENTS

  1. Wallin is the guy that sent extremely unprofessional and insulting emails to a Veteran, simply when the Veteran was trying to make a sales call to the non profit. Character is everything, and Wallin showed he has bad character.

    Also, 80% of Operation Stand Down’s funding goes to salaries, only 20% to veterans’ causes! Not a good organization.

  2. The facts that Mr. Gorganni purports to know are incorrect. Perhaps he is confusing this organization with a different organization because all OSDRI staff are paid through grant money. All donations go directly to veteran services. If Mr. Gorganni wants to be educated I suggest he do his research and look up the organizations 990 federally filed tax form which clearly demonstrates this comment lacks all merit. Furthermore, he can call the organization in regards to any question he may have and they will set the record straight.

  3. Actually, what Mr. Gorganni writes is accurate. He is being nice the way he describes the Wallin email incident, as it was vulgar and extremely unprofessional. He should have been fired.
    Regarding OSDRI funding, grants are tax payer funds! Regardless of the source of OSDRI’s revenues, if indeed 80% goes to salaries, and only 20% to services, that is not good. Ms. DeQuattro should just tell us, rather than requiring us to go find the 990 tax form, good luck finding it!