Lawton Chamber of Commerce unveils new Veterans Resource Center

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Monday, the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening for the brand new location of the Veteran’s Resource Center.

It took place around 10:30 and featured remarks from local officials, fort sill leadership, and was followed by a FIRES Banquet Luncheon.

The program coordinator for the Veteran’s Resource Center, Jervis Jackson, says this project has been a longtime in the making.

“We began this project about 12 years ago. We called it the iCount campaign and our efforts were designed to identify homeless veterans, or those who might be experiencing homelessness, those who are at risks of homelessness and what we found then, it shocked us, and it shocked this community. The community made a conscious effort to change that narrative,” Jackson said.

Jackson added that many of the services that will be administered in the new building have been provided for quite some time.

However, this now allows them to become a one-stop shop for all services and resources provided for veterans.

Jackson said, “The ability that we now have with this facility is to take veterans off the street, to change their lives, to change their perspective, and to ensure that we take care of those who have, for so long, taken care of us, it means everything to this community.”

The new building allows them to work towards changing the lives of veterans who might find themselves on hard times.

Not to give them a hand-out, but to give them a hand-up so that they can be restored, refreshed, and reintegrated into mainstream society.