TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TOGETHER WE CAN DRAW CHANGE.

>>> ORGANIZATIONS ARE HELPING BLACK VETERANS WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES GET THE HELP THEY NEED THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOUND BLACK VETERANS MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS, A DA REPORT SHOWS THEY WERE MORE OFTEN DENIED BENEFITS FOR PTSD.

JOINING US NOW IS FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE VETERANS INITIATIVE AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BLACK VETERANS COALITION, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

WHAT LED YOU TO START THE MULTIFACE VETERANS INITIATIVE?

>> I LOST MY SON TO SUICIDE WHO WAS A VET.

AT THE TIME I ASK THE QUESTION, WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT THEY DOING?

I FELT WHEN VETERANS COME BACK THEY COME BACK TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY LEFT.

BUT IT IS INVISIBLE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO, WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TO CREATE A SPACE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT COULD HELP THEM NAVIGATE AND HAVE A SAFE SPACE TO JOIN AND CONNECT THEM TO NATIVE RESOURCES, THAT IS WHY WE STARTED.

>> YOU STARTED HERE AFTER THE LOSS OF YOUR SON.

>> HIS NAME IS SAAED MOHAMMED, HE SERVED IN THE MILITARY, HE WAS SPECIAL FORCES, DISCHARGED, HE GOT OUT, WORKED FOR INTELLIGENCE, CARRYING WHAT YOU SEE AND CAN'T BE UNSEEN, WHAT YOU HAVE DONE CAN NOT BE UNDONE.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE VA AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS YES, THAT IS THERE, BUT WHAT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IS THE MORAL INJURIES, THAT IS WHAT MANY VETERANS CARRY AND THAT, OFTENTIMES IS WHAT LEADS THEM TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES.

>> YOU SERVED IN THE NAVY AS AN INFORMATION TECHNICIAN FOR 6 1/2 YEARS WHAT ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THAT BLACK VETERANS FACE?

>> WE TALK ABOUT RECRUITMENT BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE COMING FROM.

SO, WHEN AFRICAN AMERICAN VETERANS JOIN THE SERVICE IT IS A CULTURE SHOCK WITH IT BEING THE MILITARY AND A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T LOOK LIKE THEM AND NOT THE SAME PLACES THEY COME FROM.

THE BIGGEST THING IS JUST HAVING OTHER BLACK SAILORS PULLED ME ASIDE AND HAD BEEN THERE FOR AWHILE, SAY HEY, STAY AWAY FROM THIS OR NAVIGATE THINGS THIS WAY.

>> HOW IS YOUR ORGANIZATION CONNECT VETS, ESPECIALLY BLACK VETS WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THEY NEED >> WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO OVER 10 YEARS IS DEVELOP 14 COMMUNITY HUBS, WHAT WE CALL COMMUNITY HUBS THAT SPANS ABOUT 18 COMMUNITIES.

WHAT WE DO IS WE CONNECT AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN TO FIND OUT WHERE THOSE RESOURCES ARE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT CAN CONNECT THOSE VETERANS TO THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED.

SO WHEN THEY COME INTO THOSE COMMUNITY SPACES EACH OF OUR COMMUNITY SITES HAS ACCESS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN AND THEY CAN CONNECT THEM WITH THE NEEDED SERVICES THAT THEY NEED.

WE ALSO RECOMMEND THE VET CENTERS, THE VET CENTERS WILL SERVICE VETERANS IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR DISCHARGE STATUS, ALL VETERANS, SOME DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE VA, SOME CAN NOT GIVE THEIR DISCHARGE STATUS.

>> MANNY WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE YOU HEARD FROM BLACK VETS TRYING TO ACCESS MENTAL SERVICES THROUGH THE VA?

>> ONE OF THE MOST TRAUMATIC STORIES THAT I HEARD IT WAS A VETERAN WHO IS A VETERAN OF SPECIAL FORCES AS WELL LOOKING INTO MENTAL HEALTH AND SEEKING COMPENSATION FROM THE VA.

THE VA TRIED TO CONNECT THEIR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS FOR THEIR TIME IN CHICAGO GROWING UP VERSUS THEIR TIME IN THE MILITARY WHEN THEY WERE ON THE FRONTLINES.

THOSE WERE SOME OF THE BARRIERS AFRICAN AMERICAN VETERANS ARE EXPERIENCING.

A LOT OF TIMES IT IS DIFFERENT TO SIT ACROSS FROM SOMEBODY WHO ASK NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR EXPERIENCES PRIOR TO THE SERVICES AND YOUR EXPERIENCE AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN IN THE SERVICE AND TALK ABOUT THE DISABILITY CLAIM THAT YOU HAVE.

WE HAVE 14 TRAINED HERE IN COOK COUNTY TO GIVE BLACK VETERANS BY GETTING THEIR BENEFITS BY SITTING ACROSS FROM ANOTHER BLACK SERVICE MEMBER.

>> YOUR ORGANIZATION FOCUSES ON THE SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT FEMALE VETERANS FACE, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?

>> FEMALE VETERANS, MANY THAT WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGED WITH SUFFER FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS.

WE TALKED TO ONE FEMALE VETERAN RECENTLY WHO'S HUSBAND KILLED THEIR CHILD.

THE OTHER ISSUES THAT WE SEE WITH FEMALE VETERANS WHEN THEY COME BACK IS REALLY RECONNECTING WITH THEIR CHILDREN, PARTICULARLY IF THEY HAD CHILDREN BEFORE.

WE HAD NEVER ABLE TO RECONNECT WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

WE WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY GET HER INTO THE VA TO GET SERVICES AND SHE DIED ON THE OPERATING TABLE WHEN THEY HAD HER SERVICES, NONE OF HER CHILDREN WERE THERE.

SO, THIS BECOMES A HUGE ISSUE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW WE SERVICE FEMALE VETS.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WOMEN VETERANS, ALTHOUGH THE VA IS DOING MUCH BETTER IN TERMS OF SERVICING, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE WOMEN'S CLINIC WAS IN THE BASEMENT AND AS THEY ARE WALKING THROUGH THEY ARE WALKING THROUGH CATCALLS.

>> OH, GEEZ.

>> THEY GO TO THE VA AND THEY ARE NOT RECOGNIZED AS A VET.

THEY ARE ASKING WHO IS YOUR SPOUSE.

>> HEARTBREAKING STORIES THERE.

BEFORE WE RUN OUT OF TIMES, MANNY, WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE DONE?

WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE TO SUPPORT BLACK VETERANS STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES?

>> WE NEED SERVICES, SHE WORKS ON FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.

A LOT OF FOLK'S FAITH IT WAS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF ENERGY AND STRENGTH PRIOR TO SERVICE.

IF WE NEED TO WORK WITH VETERANS WE ARE DOING THEM A DISSERVICE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, RIGHT?

A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WHITE VETERANS RETURN HOME THERE ARE PARADES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

A LOT OF TIMES WE RETURN HOME TO OUR COMMUNITIES FOLKS DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH US.

WORKING MORE WITH BLACK ORGANIZATIONS TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO WORK WITH THE VETERANS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

BIGGER POINT TO LAY OUT FOR THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IS IF YOU ARE ASKING HAVE FOLKS IF THERE ARE VETERANS THERE ARE A HOST OF SERVICES THAT EXIST AND THE VA THAT HELL HELP CHANGE THE OUTCOMES.

WE KNOW OUR SOCIAL SERVICES ARE OVERBURDENED.

IF WE ARE ASKING FOLKS, HAVE THEY SERVED IN THE MILITARY?

THERE COULD BE A SOURCE OF RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP THEM AS