Newark Opens New Veterans Service Office At City Hall

NEWARK, NJ — Newark is standing tall for its military servicemembers with a new Veterans Service Office at City Hall.

The city recently cut the ribbon on its newest office, which is located in Room B-13 at 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Boulevard (formerly Broad Street). Officials honored eight local veterans for their service during a ceremony in the City Hall Rotunda.

The new facility will help Newark veterans secure services they are entitled to through the GI Bill. It will also help them learn how to access education and training, housing, loans, medical/mental health care, and other state and federal programs.

Here’s what to know about the newest resource for veterans in Newark, officials said:

“The Newark Veterans’ Service Office will assist the city’s many veterans, who are often unaware of their eligibility and pathways to the full range of benefits ranging from health care and education assistance, to home loan and housing access and the city’s specialized carpentry training to build Newark with its own skilled trades members. Without proper guidance and navigation, these benefits and programs can go unclaimed or under claimed, and lead to quality-of-life concerns for Newark’s vets. To address these issues, the office will host educational workshops to help vets qualify for service-connected benefits and then professionally expedite the process. Its strength-based approach through peer connection and empowerment will provide compassionate service and ease access to benefits.”

Several local officials and advocates said the new office is a win for the city. They included:

Mayor Ras Baraka – “Newark’s veterans have served our nation with a depth of commitment that transcends political boundaries – to uphold the values of liberty, freedom, and democracy across the globe. They enter into service with no guarantee of the outcome, no assurance for their personal safety and no fool-proof protection of their physical and mental wellbeing. It is a level of sacrifice met only by our bravest, and one deserving of immense gratitude and every possible compensation. This office is Newark’s way of honoring and thanking those who joined the armed forces for our benefit.”

Council Member-at-Large Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree- “The City of Newark and the State of New Jersey Veterans Affair have formed a partnership to service our veterans. Veterans from all walks of life deserve to be provided with a venue to assist them with God-given services that they are entitled to receive. Newark, with the State Veterans Office and Vet4U as our partners, will accommodate those who have served, and their families, because they have sacrificed so much and gone to spaces that some would dare not go. We are doing what we are supposed to do.”

NJ Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (chair of the New Jersey General Assembly’s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee) – “I just want to say thank you to the men and women in the military for their service and sacrifice for our nation.”

Deputy Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Vincent Solomeno – “The State of New Jersey Veterans Service Office is please to share this new space with the City of Newark in City Hall. Our intent is to improve accessibility so that all Essex County veterans have a point of entry to learn about and receive the benefits that they have earned through their service.”

Janna Williams, Founder and Executive Director, VET4U – “Through this partnership with the City of Newark and the state of New Jersey, we will be able to address the unique challenges facing veterans, working together to find solutions to even the most complex issues.”

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