State Launches Program To Connect Veterans With Jobs, Housing

State officials Friday announced a new program that connects veterans with job opportunities and housing. It’s also an effort from the state to fill tens of thousands of unfilled jobs.

The program is called Next Level Veterans – a source for career training and a homebuyer program tailor made for veterans. The state launched a website to act as its hub.

Gov. Eric Holcomb says he wants veterans to consider making Indiana home, as they transition back to civilian life.

Holcomb says there are 85,000 unfilled jobs in the state and says veterans are well suited to fill them, with their discipline and unique skillset.

“We’ve got employers lining up, saying they want those exact skillsets. It’s connecting the person to the job that is always the challenge,” Holcomb says.

The program also offers a veterans-based mortgage service, which helps veterans find affordable housing.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch will lead Next Level Veterans, which is being run in partnership with the Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs, Indiana National Guard, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

The program also works with the existing INvets program from Conexus Indiana, a nonprofit focused on growing the advanced manufacturing industry.