CLEARLAKE— This Thursday, at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake, guest speaker Chris Taliaferro discussed veteran affairs from homelessness to resources and much of the in-between.
Taliaferro is the veterans representative for the California Employment Development Department. Originally from Texas, Taliaferro left the military in 2007 to come to California and to help veterans get the help they need. At that time there were no services in Lake County – No VA, no housing, so he would offer them bus passes to Santa Rosa where they could find the resources they need. Taliaferro worked to change that and today is able to offer veterans a full set of resources right here in Lake County.
There were many obstacles faced in the beginning as Taliaferro shared. “I realized, how am I going to help them get a job if they don’t have a driver’s license? What if they have legal issues that will stop them from keeping their job?”
Reaching out to other organizations to organize care became the mission and in 2015 Taliaferro began working with the Continuum of Care, a local organization that helps the homeless. By 2021 coordinated entry was almost complete, which is a data system that tracks people and resources in order to avoid repeat services and also to help obtain necessary funding. Taliaferro said, “From my side of it with the vets, it’s all about the resources.” Because of the (lack of) availability of resources the county currently has, the veterans you see unhoused today are not there for lack of income or the immediate availability of help, but because of mental health issues and the stigma associated with asking for help. Taliaferro described how there’s a large gap between Iraq War veterans and Vietnam War vets. When the veterans from Vietnam returned home, they were not greeted with welcome arms and understanding. They were not given any of the help that the Iraq War veterans received, causing a division in how the two generations live today.
Dr. Mark Cooper asked if there are any jobs here for veterans, to which Taliaferro responded, “There’s no loyalty to a business. If I’m only working for $17 an hour and somewhere else will pay me $18 well, I’m going to go work there. As a business owner you have to train so this constant turnover doesn’t help.” He added, “You have a high turnover rate because you don’t pay enough to keep quality workers.” Working on both ends of employment, directly with both job seekers and employers, Taliaferro stressed the importance of fair pay and is currently working to establish the county’s own Employment Advisory Council which could help connect employers and new businesses with the local employment force and promote paying living wages.
The Judge’s Breakfast meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday Morning at the Clearlake Senior Center. Next week’s speaker will be Pam Harpster discussing Management Connection and Temporary Work Opportunities. More information can be found on the Thursday Morning Judge’s Breakfast Facebook Page.
