Female Veterans are taken through a beautification process and male veterans through grooming process which includes basic personal grooming and new clothes. Women in the program will receive professional hair styling, khaki pants, Vet Opps program shirts, a dress, and button-up white shirt. This mix of clothing is meant to be an everyday uniform and professional clothing for job interviews. Men in the program will receive a haircut and shave, khaki pants, Vet Opps program shirts, a white button-up shirt, neck tie, belt, and shoes. In addition to focusing on the exterior of the Veteran, this step also introduces the concept of healing the inner body. Maintenance creates self-confidence for the Veteran, teaches the Veteran how to structure their own day, and adopt the mindset of no longer being homeless. This step is important, because Veterans have been trained to take orders from a chain of command instead of making decisions on their own.
The Veteran discusses why they are in the program, what they want to change in their lives, and their goals for the program. This step includes group and treatment programs in team settings. The Veterans will gain an understanding of how goal setting will allow the Veteran to accomplish what they want with their lives. Veterans went through Armed Forces training in groups, and the group training continues in the VOU program. The program includes mandatory peer support groups in the areas of understanding values, moving forward and letting go, future personal growth, improving life by increasing personal and professional development, managing guilt, setting goals for recovery, and learning how to set boundaries. In this step, the Veteran will create three-month, six-month, one-year, three-year, and five-year goals.
The Veteran is included throughout the process so they have a voice in their own recovery. Their mission can include relearning and repairing life skills once used by the Veteran and building confidence through peer support. There are several classes within this step, including confidence building, leadership, success, reading, role playing, scenario based problem solving, and resume writing. In this step, the Veteran gains the understanding that the military is no longer in control of the mission – the Veteran is now in control of their own mission. This realization adds support to the maintenance and motivation phases already completed by the Veteran.
This part of the program helps the Veteran discover the true meaning of being a Veteran, why they do what they do, why they want what they want, where they want to be, and what needs to be done to get there. This gives the Veteran a purpose to meet their spiritual and mental needs. The Veteran will be placed in a community setting, and shown how important it is to remain part of a community and give back to the community. The Veteran is shown what it means to be a leader and how to make decisions in the leadership position. This allows the Veteran to become comfortable being the leader in their own life and making their own decisions. This stage also provides volunteer opportunities, and the Veteran can decide how involved they want to be in the volunteering process.
The money section works on the one, three, and five-year plans created by the Veteran earlier in the program. The Veteran will have opportunities to complete debt counseling, budgeting, financial planning courses and financial literacy, including tax preparations. Debt counseling and debt relief are very important in this step. Many times, Veterans have fallen on hard times financially and have accrued debt that is hanging over their heads. This debt should be cleared in one way or another so the Veteran can start life after the program in a positive financial position. Additionally, these courses will teach the Veteran how to manage their resources, how to prepare a monthly budget and pay bills, and the difference in an asset and a liability, all while using a peer group to maintain support throughout this final transition.
