New office helps veterans with their affairs
As director for veteran affairs, retired Army Maj. Buddy Grantham helps military veterans and their families get the services they’re entitled to.
By Dave Schafer
During his 20 years in the Army, retired Maj. Buddy Grantham took care of fellow soldiers. Now, he’s doing that for the city of Houston.
In October, Mayor Bill White created the Office of Veterans Affairs in the Mayor’s Office and tapped Grantham as its director.
“We must eliminate the red tape and lack of knowledge that creates huge gaps between available services and the men and women who sacrificed so much to earn that help,” White said.
There are more than 304,000 veterans in the greater Houston area, Grantham said.
“As a city, it’s our job to help people no matter who they are,” he said. “But for the veterans of this city, to know that the city understands their unique issues and will address them is really something.”
Requests all around
When veterans’ spouses need to know about burial benefits, they can call Grantham. When vets are treated unfairly, they can call Grantham. When the Paralyzed Veterans of Texas want to provide tax help to members, Grantham gets the call. When military.com or the Texas Veterans Land Board want to hold a jobs workshop for vets, they call Grantham.
“It’s coming at me from all directions,” he said.
He never says no to vets, spouses, widows, children, parents, hospitals, or organizations, Grantham said. Most of the questions from veterans are about their benefits.
When he can’t solve the problem, Grantham puts them in contact with someone who can.
“I’m not looking to duplicate resources,” he said. “When people don’t know where to go, I work on getting them into the right hands. And if the first one doesn’t solve their problem, I find someone else.”
Not waiting around
Of the approximately 12,000 homeless in Houston, 4,000 are veterans. That proportion is “out of whack” with population ratios, Grantham said.
He’s working with the American G.I. Forum, WorkSource, U.S. Veterans Initiatives and others to find homes for those veterans.
“There is a lot of help out there,” he said. “Our job is to find out how we can expand those organizations’ capacity or encourage new ventures. There has to be more pieces for the puzzle, so we try to grow more puzzle pieces and make the existing ones stronger.”
He’s also working with the Affirmative Action Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs to help disabled vets start small businesses. That would give vets a source of income and something to do while providing the city with more MWDBE contractors.
“That would elevate everyone,” he said. “And vet-run businesses tend to hire vets.”
Health & Human Services has a VA-funded internship program for disabled vets. Through this program, vets gain a new skill and focus on something other than their disability.
“It would allow them to focus on their ability,” he said.
Grantham, who joined the Army right out of Texas A&M, understands veterans’ problems. He served in Desert Storm and was a member of the cavalry and the logistics branches before retiring in August 2005.
“This office lets veterans know that someone cares,” he said. “They’re so happy that there’s someone out there who understands what they’re going through. We speak a common language and have a common understanding.”
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