KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Missouri Secretary of State and Kansas City mayoral candidate Jason Kander announced Monday plans to join a Kansas City nonprofit organization working to end veterans’ homelessness across the United States.
Kander, a U.S. Army veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan, will lead the national expansion of Veterans Community Project, an organization founded in Kansas City in 2016, according to a news release. The nonprofit connects veterans with community resources and helps them go through the process to get services they need.
The organization plans to open eight more locations in the United States by 2022. Each new location will model the one in Kansas City, including a walk-in center for veterans as well as a community of tiny homes with on-site services to help homeless veterans transition to permanent housing.
“When I decided to suspend my political career and seek treatment for PTSD, Veterans Community Project was there to help me through the process,” Kander said in the news release. “Like they’ve done for thousands of veterans, VCP made sure I got the services I needed. Veterans’ homelessness is a national crisis, so I’m proud to join an organization that has created a model to end it.”
I'm joining @VCP_HQ to work to end veterans homelessness in the United States and make sure everyone who has served our country gets the assistance they've earned. They helped me, and now I'm proud to help them.
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) July 15, 2019
Kander, who served as secretary of state from 2013 to 2017, was considered a frontrunner in the Kansas City mayoral race before he suddenly dropped out in October 2018, citing the need to concentrate on his mental health.
At the time, Kander said that he hoped his decision helped others with mental health issues.
