Wyandotte Officials Working to Bring More Initiatives for Veterans to the City

As one of the highest-populated spots in the country, Michigan is home to more than 650,000 military veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

More than 2,000 of them reside right here in Wyandotte.

However, the benefits for veterans - including housing - are scarce in the region. That's why local officials and members from a nearby American Legion group are joining together to change this.

City Assessor Tom Woodruff is a force behind bringing new programs to honor these former military members and their spouses to Wyandotte.

Woodruff, a Vietnam Veteran himself, is working with the group to outline strategies for securing both state and federal grants as well as targeted new legislation, stating the need is imminent.

"It was just listed recently that out of the 50 states [including territories], Michigan is #52 when it comes to veterans' benefits so we're trying to change that," said Woodruff.

Right now, some grant money is available through Washington for veterans who are 100-percent disabled. However, there are many veterans who are disabled, but not fully, meaning they would miss out on these benefits.

In the past, through the NSP2 Housing Project, Wyandotte was able to build homes, with federal dollars, for families in the middle to lower income bracket.
Despite some of the homes being constructed as easily handicap-accessible, no special treatment was given to veterans. According to Woodruff, due to their non-taxed VA compensation, many of the veterans were pushed above the income needed to qualify for the housing.

However, thanks to efforts like the city's, positive change might be on the horizon.

"Michigan has been slow to act on the veterans' behalf but they're trying to catch up through several different members of Congress right now," said Woodruff.

Woodruff sits on the the board of the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, which meets with the Wayne County Military Soldiers and Sailors Family Relief Fund. He says he has noticed recently that both the state and county have tried to step up their approach in helping.

"If a veteran falls into difficulty with taxes or utilities or something like that, through the Veterans Trust Fund, we can give them money to help get them through that time until, hopefully, they can function on their own shortly after that," said Woodruff.

Back here in Wyandotte, the group plans to meet again in December, hopefully getting more representatives from Congress involved as well. In the future, they would like to open up meetings to the general public.