Spokane County lights landmarks green to honor veterans, draw attention to regional resources

Nov. 8—A wave of green lights has taken over Spokane's night skies this week.

Observant drivers traveling through downtown Spokane and the West Central neighborhood may have noticed the green hue illuminating landmarks like the tower of the Spokane County Courthouse and the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

Since Monday, Spokane County has honored veterans and their families by participating in Operation Green Light, a national effort to recognize former military members for their service ahead of Veterans Day.

Cat Nichols, the county's community affairs director, said the green adornments inside and outside of county buildings also serve as a reminder of local services designated entirely to veterans and their families.

Much of the work to assist veterans in Eastern Washington takes place at the Spokane County Regional Veterans Services Center in Spokane Valley, where Nichols has filled the top role since 2017. A longtime employee of the Washington Department of Veteran Affairs, Nichols was highly recommended by her predecessor to take over Spokane County's outfit.

At the time, the Army veteran wasn't quite ready to leave behind her job with the state, she said. Rather than searching for other prospective candidates, the county opted to enter into a unique partnership with the state department and contracted with Nichols to oversee the regional hub until she joined the county full time in 2022.

"We basically brought all of the state and national partnerships that I had built working for the State of Washington here to Spokane County," Nichols said.

The partnerships, resources, best practices and experience Nichols brought has helped transform the office during her time at the helm.

In 2017, roughly 1,700 veterans were served by the county. That figure has steadily climbed to reach a peak of 8,300 veterans this year, according to Spokane County data.

Still, Nichols estimates there are roughly 65,000 veterans in Eastern Washington, meaning the center's serving only around 13% of the regional population.

"That doesn't even include the active duty serving at Fairchild," Nichols said. "We have lots and lots of room to grow."

Nichols said many veterans may not be aware of the resources available to them, how to navigate local, state and federal services, or that her department is there to help with the process.

Her staff members, who are veterans themselves or have family ties to the military, work with individuals step-by-step through the process of accessing benefits, finding resources to assist with food and housing insecurity, or figuring out what the next phase of their life will look like. As a co-located facility, Nichols said the center is better equipped to assist with a wide range of issues than any one location otherwise could.

"The whole VA claims process for veterans is just daunting," Nichols said. "The forms you get from the VA, the letters you get from the VA are sometimes unintelligible. You need a translator, and that's what our team does."

Army and Navy veteran Jeff Duncan, who grew up in the Valley, said he would have given up on the process of accessing his benefits if it weren't for the center's team of veteran services officers helping him through the lengthy and complex ordeal. It's not like the military prepares you well for what comes next, he said.

Duncan, 63, first heard of the center three years ago from a friend, and said he carries a few of its business cards to pass out to fellow veterans he meets.

"Without this, I would not have had one claim; I doubt I would even be with the VA hospital," Duncan said.

"And without their knowledge, I had no way of knowing what was available out there."

Duncan comes from a military family; his father, grandfather, uncles and his son have all served. He said while he and his son have relied on the center for assistance, some of those older generations of veterans have a hard time asking for the help they may need.

"It doesn't matter what branch you're in or anything, you just learn to walk it off," Duncan said. "Until you get out here and talk with people and find out, well, maybe not. Maybe we do need some help."

Air Force veteran Kaylee Clark, 24, said the center was instrumental in helping her take the leap into civilian life. While stationed at Fairchild, Clark participated in the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program, which allows outgoing service members to participate in training and internships outside of the service to prepare them to join the workforce.

Clark landed an internship with Spokane County, where she's employed as a victim witness advocate in the prosecutor's office.

"That was probably the best decision I made in my transition out of the military," Clark said.

"Just because I would have been completely lost had I not had that kind of security blanket of knowing that the county was fully taking me on, giving me a chance to prove myself."

Like Duncan, Clark raved about the friendly support she's received at the veterans services center and lamented that more veterans are not aware of the monetary, medical, educational and employment assistance they can access.

Without those resources, Clark said she'd be in a much different place in life.

"Even ones that I haven't used, the fact that I know that they're there gives me a sense of security and a feeling like I have a community of support," Clark said. "That if I need something, I know exactly where to go and that they will help me in whatever it is."

Nichols said hearing Duncan and Clark share their experiences resonated deeply, because it's exactly what she had set out to do when she took over the office. The center's physical location, approach and guiding mission are all built around honoring veterans.

The veterans services officers are real-life "battle buddies," Nichols said — someone to walk alongside a former military member throughout the process.

The term has roots in Army basic training camps, where new recruits are partnered up and asked to be responsible for each other in and out of combat.

"That's what we're here for in the VA claims process; we don't expect you to square yourself away," Nichols said.

"Even the military didn't expect you to square yourself away; you had a battle buddy."

That approach has helped the regional hub receive national recognition as a leader in best practices for veteran services departments, with awards from the national and state associations for county governments.

The acclaim doesn't stop there. The center's staff is widely considered as one of the most effective in the state, Nichols said. She has received recognition for her work, serving on the Board of Directors of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and the National Association of Counties' Veterans & Military Services Committee and Governor Inslee's Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee.

Nichols said serving on the boards helps to keep the center on the cutting edge of veterans services, as she learns more about best practices, community engagement and the latest developments.

Now, she just hopes to get more of those veterans in the door to experience everything the center has to offer.

"You're surrounded with battle buddies in the military," Nichols said. "And we want people to know that when you transition out as a veteran in our community, you have a whole system of battle buddies right here in this office."