Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Stacy Fogarty, Program Manager at CompeerCorps. Our conversation focused on the services offered by the Veterans Outreach Center and CompeerCorps to veterans, as well as intentional friendship services CompeerCorps offers to the general youth and adult population here in Rochester, NY. Within the interview we focused on LGBT inclusion within both of the organizations.

*Compeer is actively seeking volunteer mentors for our veteran, for youth and adult population.

Services Available to Veterans

Q: Does the Veterans Outreach Center or Compeer offer any LGBT specific services? Is it an environment where LGBT veterans can feel open about their LGBT identity?

The Veterans Outreach Center and Compeer are absolutely places for our LGBT veterans to access assistance if they need it. We welcome all veterans and LGBT individuals to our services and would like to do anything possible to assist them. The service programs of Veterans Outreach Center are tailored to the individual veteran and can address a variety of needs- whether the veteran is struggling with unemployment, needing direction with educational opportunity, emergency housing assistance, legal advisement, or emotional counseling.  Our trained and licensed staff in Wellness and Supportive Services offer support through various approaches including traditional one-on-one counseling and even Creative Arts Therapy.  

Q: Who can receive services at the Veterans Outreach Center?

Any person who has served or is serving can come and utilize services. There are some standards for certain services (e.g. financial restrictions or types of discharges) but our staff welcomes the opportunity to explore each veterans need of assistance- but also for their immediate family. That is something that sets VOC apart from many veteran-focused resource agencies, is that we are able to offer these services to not just the veteran but the family too.

Q: What types of services does the Veterans Outreach Center offer to veterans?

We offer employment services/job skill training, education counseling, a residential program, veterans benefit counseling, legal services, financial coaching, wellness and support services, as well as peer to peer services.

Q: You work closely with the peer to peer program. Could you explain more about it?

The peer to peer service works to create an intentional friendship between a veteran and a peer who has served or is serving in the armed forces. The program fills the gaps between other services and the needs of veterans. How about- if transportation is a problem for you and you don’t know the RTS Bus routes well-a peer could help with that.

In terms of commitment, peers spend four hours per month together with a yearlong commitment. Compeer provides activities for them to do in the community and emphasizes low cost and/or free activities. People often donate tickets to Compeer to allow mentors and veterans or youth to access a variety of events, museums, etc. We have even had some matches for thirty years. While it is an intentional friendship in the beginning, we hope that it becomes an actual long term friendship.

Q: Could you give an example of the impact these peer to peer relationships can have on the lives of participants?

A: A vet was on a waiting list for three years. Before he had a mentor he would come to all of our events. I remember he came to a bowling event, rented his shoes and was too scared to bowl, but then later [through his relationship with his mentor] got up in front of over 100 people to speak about how much his mentor and the program meant to him. It was at a fundraiser with a lot important people. This was only six months after his match with his mentor.

Q: If an LGBT veteran is specifically looking for an LGBT peer-to-peer mentor do you offer that service?

A: We do have LGBT mentors and clients, but I don’t know if they’re match for that specific reason.
Our matching reason is based on a variety of things (e.g. Activity levels,  interests, health challenges). We try to understand the person as a whole including LGBT identity, veterans status, strengths, goals, etc. We have had clients who identify as transgender, as well as gay, lesbian and bisexual.
If having an LGBT mentor was important to a client that is something we would take into account.

Q: Does CompeerCorps only provide matches to veterans?

A:  CompeerCORPS is a VOC specific program but Compeer reaches beyond the Veteran population. Compeer also services youth and adult populations who are in mental health recovery. At this time we are not taking any more non-Veteran mentees but, we are always looking for mentors for the veteran’s program, as well as the general youth and adult programs. At the moment we have 300 people looking for mentors.

Q: Is there any difference between the peer to peer program for veterans and the general youth and adult programs?

A: No. In all cases participants are individuals who do not have one person they can rely on, to spend holidays with, to call them on their birthdays, etc. The youth and adults in the general CompeerCorps also experience this and want someone to do these things with. The activities you do with a mentee don’t have to be complicated. Even grocery shopping could be an activity.

Q: Is the general youth and adult program LGBT inclusive?

A: Yes,  as we have been able to afford to do so our staff has been Safe Zone trained. We also have staff members who openly identify as LGBT. We have clients who identify as LGBT and at the moment we have some youth on our waiting list who identify as LGBT and are struggling with [being comfortable with] their identity. We are looking for mentors for those youth.

Q: Do you have any last comments or stories?
A: I know people are busy, but you can make the time to be a mentor. I’m in grad school, split between two jobs, working full time and I still make time for my mentee. She sometimes just gets to go to the grocery store with me, I do take her to do fun stuff too like going to the circus, but sometimes we just go to the grocery store and that matters too.