Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta (FBMA)

Veteran Employment Program – COVID-19 Response

Despite extensive training and responsibilities in the military, some veterans struggle to transition successfully to civilian life and employment, with some encountering, especially significant challenges. The Veteran Employment Program, operated by the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta (FMBA) a prior NFL-BWF partner, intervenes with these most-vulnerable veterans who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness, to provide on-the-job training, forklift or CDL-A licenses, and to facilitate full-time employment. Veterans exit the program with employment income sufficient to prevent their return to homelessness. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, FBMA was forced to temporarily suspend all operations, including its Veteran Employment Program, creating additional financial hardship for vulnerable veterans. This NFL-BWF Salute to Service grant will enable FBMA to offer current participants an 8-week extension of their training program and continue to pay them weekly stipends to sustain them through the closure. Specifically, this NFL-BWF grant will provide financial and transportation support to 6 current veteran interns, offer an accelerated internship program to 6 returning veterans who have lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide 4 of those veterans with a CDL-A license. This grant will ensure that 12 veterans are able to secure full-time employment when normal business operations resume.