Thank you.
That's a really important question because peer-reviewed research and also our own personal experience say that we need to engage people before they release. It is too late after. The horse has left the barn for some people. Veterans Affairs has a hard time keeping track of people, which is fine because veterans don't have to check in, obviously. But people also need time before they release to get excited about the future, get comfortable with the idea, start building a new community, and all that happens in the year or two years beforehand.
That's why we do most of our work on bases, because we want to get them there.
That is really, I would say, the number one most important thing that you could do. Start transition training or any sort of career training earlier and give people something to look forward to and be excited and positive about.
Also, there's one other thing that is so important to me. Veterans are often unaware of the supports that are available to them and they don't believe that people are willing to help them. There's a real attitude of, “why would somebody want to help me?” There are millions of Canadians out there who desperately would love to volunteer and help a veteran, and they need to know that.