VETERANS ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION

"Veterans Helping Veterans"

Robert R. Piaro
President/CEO

• 100% disabled Vietnam Veteran, received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Combat V, Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, and various Republic of Vietnam citations.
   
• Since Vietnam, Bob has had to deal with the problems of a physical disability loss of his left leg, combat stress, chemical dependency and family problems.  In 1985 he entered the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment program at the VAMC Tomah, WI.  After he completed that program, his life took a new direction – helping other veterans with similar problems.
  
  
• In 1992, Bob began volunteering for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) in establishing a homeless veteran program in Wisconsin.  He spent 3 months as a homeless veteran in the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Boston, MA to collect data for the Veterans Assistance Program (VAP) where he worked with no salary as interim director of the Veterans Rehabilitation Program, latter known as the VAP.

• In December 1994, Bob established the Veterans Assistance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation to operate Veterans Assistance Centers for the purpose of transitioning homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless veterans into society’s mainstream by providing an environment where they could receive needed services to make that happen.  At that time, the VAF wanted to establish a VAC in the Fox Valley region in Wisconsin.  It has expanded to operate the following programs:

• Veterans Assistance Center – King, WI.  A 27-bed facility located on the grounds of the King Veterans Home near Waupaca, WI.  Opened April 1995.

• Veterans Assistance Center – Madison, WI.  A 7 bed, transitional facility located on the grounds of Central Wisconsin Center in Madison, WI.  Opened July 1996.

• Veterans Assistance Center – Fort McCoy, WI.  The VAF assumed responsibility for this Center from the WDVA in July 1996.  Fort McCoy has 14 program beds.

• Veterans Assistance Center – Tomah, WI.  The administrative operations of the Fort McCoy facility moved to the grounds of the VA Medical Center in Tomah in September 1998.  VAC Tomah has 67 program beds.

• Resource and Referral Center – Bakersfield, CA.  This is a day service program designed to provide assistance in conjunction with area service providers.

• VAF-Kern County Annual Stand Down- Stand Down is in reference to the military term allowing a combat unit removed from the field of battle to an area of safety and security and has been widely heralded as an innovative and effective way of assisting homeless veterans to break the self-perpetuating cycle of homelessness.
   

• Bob is a nationally recognized leader in homeless veteran advocacy.  He travels around the country providing assistance to veterans programs and organizations.  Bob is knowledgeable and persuasive in dealing with veterans issues with government agencies and organizations.  He has exercised this talent while being a pivotal actor in developing National, State and Local veterans programs.  Bob has developed and continues to expand a professional knowledge of veterans problems and possible solutions.  He has, as an individual, the ability to communicate with his fellow veterans on a sympathetic but no-nonsense level that gets results for them that has earned him a reputation as someone that can really help.

• VAF Professional Affiliations

• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

• Kern County Homeless Collaborative

• Kern County Network For Children

• VAF-Kern County Veterans Stand Down

• Personal Affiliations

• Vietnam Veterans of America

• American Legion

• Disabled Veterans of America

• DAV

• AMVETS

• VFW

• Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians Network