In-depth study of Manatee County veterans proposed by USF instructor

Just how many veterans live in Manatee County is anybody’s guess.

Carl Hunsinger, chairman of the Manatee County Veterans Council, pegs the number at about 40,000.

An in-depth study of Manatee’s veterans, their needs and demographics — proposed by Eric B. Hodges, instructor of political science at USF Sarasota-Manatee — could answer a lot of questions.

“It could make us a leader in Florida. No other county has done a needs assessment of veterans,” Hodges said at the monthy meeting Thursday of the veterans council at Kirby Stewart American Legion Post 24.

Hodges asked for the council’s help in designing a veterans questionnaire and spreading the word about the study.

“We will have town hall meetings where veterans can express their opinions,” said Hodges, who served as a marine before entering the world of academia. “We will drill down on some of the issues that surface.”

The study will take no less than 18 months, but will yield data that can be used to address veterans issues, including a funding mechanism through federal grants, he said.

Manatee’s veteran population is growing, and solid data is needed to go after grants that are available, Hunsinger said.

“This is preliminary. The most important thing is to get it started,” he said.

In other business Thursday:

▪  Renee Medina, a Manatee County veterans service counselor, said the proposed veterans ID card has not yet been rolled out by the Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s office announced recently that the application process would go live on the VA website in November.

▪  Edwin Robinson, a case manager for the Yellow Ribbon program at Turning Points, said the recent homeless Stand Down event at the Manatee County Fairgrounds served 233 persons, including 116 veterans. Forty-five vets who came through Stand Down court had fees and fines removed from their records.

▪  Meshia Richardson, who heads up the Wreaths Across America Day for Sarasota National Cemetery, said the program is running behind in its fundraising. The program seeks to place wreaths on each of the 12,000 gravesites at the cemetery but has money for only 4,500. Donations can be made by check payable to Family & Friends of Sarasota National Cemetery Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, at 2217 123rd Terrace E., Parrish, FL 34219. Donations can also be made at sarasotawreaths.com.

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 3:41 PM with the headline "In-depth study of Manatee County veterans proposed by USF instructor."