Veterans caught up in the criminal justice system will be getting some additional support thanks to a grant from local supporters of the Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program.
Funded by the Bucks County Bar Foundation and a local nonprofit, The Friends for Heroes Foundation, the grant was used for the recent hiring of a part-time social worker who will work closely with veterans participating in the program.
Jerard Johnson, a U.S. Navy veteran, will work as a liaison between treatment providers, the probation department, the District Attorney’s office, and the court to help meet some of the needs of veterans that can end up falling through the cracks.
Johnson, who holds a master’s degree in social work from Temple University, will provide a full range of social and case management services to veterans in the program, working with them and their families to help them utilize all resources available to them.
“We owe all our veterans our gratitude,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. “The criminal justice process is daunting for anyone. Creating this new position to guide them through it is our way of saying, ‘Thank You.’”
Jeffrey Liebmann, president of the Bucks County Bar Foundation and co-chair of The Friends for Heroes Foundation, said, “We at the Bar Foundation and Friends for Heroes firmly believe that the social worker will provide a safety net to those most at risk veterans in the Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program. It is our honor to help in this small way.”
For information on the program, visit: https://buckscounty.gov/751/Veterans-Treatment-Program.
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