COMMUNITY Nation’s Finest helping veterans, their families

SUSAN HILAND SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Nation’s Finest has been helping veterans and their families find housing and, for those facing homelessness, a way off the streets since 1972.

They started out by wanting to help a group of Vietnam vets who were returning home, according to Chris Sheridan, a supervising case manager.

“Since then, the organization has helped over 150,000 veterans and families,” he said.

The organization started out as Flower of the Dragon. The name has changed several times over the years. In 2020, it went from Veterans Resource Centers of America to Nation’s Finest.

Sheridan is not a veteran, but wants to help those who served the country remain in their homes, find work or get off the streets.

The organization is in more than 31 locations in 14 mostly rural communities in California, Arizona and Nevada.

“At this time we don’t have a brickand-mortar office, but are working remotely,” Sheridan said.

The remote office has a small staff of two: Sheridan and Lisa Hoff, who has 20 years of experience assisting those in need find help through various organizations.

Some people reach out to them through these other organizations; some reach out personally.

“We go out to places a lot of people wouldn’t want to go, looking for veterans who are under bridges or homeless on the streets,” Sheridan said.

It is not always easy. Many times they are mistaken for police or representatives of the Veterans Affairs office. Some people will run from them.

“We are not part of the VA at all. We work with them to find the veterans who are struggling to help them, but we are not part of them at all,” he said.

Nation’s Finest works with veterans and families to find transitional housing, mental health referrals, employment services, permanent housing, homeless prevention, behavioral health as well as other needs.

“People come to us sometimes in jeopardy of losing their homes, or are homeless and need help,” Sheridan said.

They even help reunite homeless veterans with their families.

“Say someone’s family is in New York, we will help them to be reunited with their families there,” he said.

Their work is supported with grants and donations.

They are currently looking to work with various eateries to create a dine-and-donate program where the eateries would donate a part of the purchases to them.

Nation’s Finest is also looking for a brick-and-mortar office space along with some additional assistance with caseloads.

“What I really want to do is help as many people as possible,” Sheridan said.

For more information, call 707-9533760, send an email to lhoff@nations finest.org or visit www.nationsfinest. org.