Employee Spotlight
May 5, 2023
Corey Moore
Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Peer Support Specialist
Overton Brooks VA Medical Center
Q: How long have you been employed by VA?
A: I started volunteering in this office in 2020, right before COVID. I got hired in 2022.
Q: As a Veteran, what branch of the military did you serve in, and what was your job?
A: I was in the Marines from 2006 through 2010. I was a diesel mechanic in an infantry unit.
Q: Tell me about your job as a HUD-VASH peer support specialist.
A: My job duties vary widely on a daily basis. Some days, I sit down with a Veteran to talk them through something that’s been going on with them. Others, I help a Veteran move into a new apartment or home. I also take groups of Veterans to food pantries to allow them to pick up food for the month.
I love every bit of it.
Q: Do you feel that it’s important to be a Veteran in this type of role?
A: Absolutely. I believe that the Veteran connection is really the sweet spot. At VA, peer support specialists are required to be Veterans. I think that’s a very good requirement because there can be a disconnect between Veterans and non-Veterans. They wonder, “How can you even begin to understand what I've been through when you haven’t been through it yourself?”
That’s where I excel. I'm very good at making a strong connection with Veterans.
Q: What are Stand Down events, and how do they help Veterans?
A: Stand Downs are big outreach events that help VA reach Veterans in need. It allows us to engage with street homeless Veterans and identify their specific needs. Some Veterans need housing, some have housing but need home improvements, or help with budgeting, or healthcare. These events allow us to identify Veterans who are eligible for VA services so we can bring new patients to VA, or we might be able to bring in new program participants and actually get these Veterans off the street.
Stand Downs are a vital part of VA's mission to help Veterans.
Q: What is your “why” for this work?
A: These events are personally important to me. When I moved to Shreveport and came back to Overton Brooks VA, I was a homeless Veteran living on the street. My first experience with this office was as a participant in the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program and the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program.
My first involvement with a Stand Down was because I was getting volunteer hours for Veterans Court. And I fell in love with it. It's really the front lines of the homeless programs, which is right up my alley. It makes me feel like I'm in the trenches and doing important work.
It speaks to me because I have a personal connection to it. It’s very rewarding for me to have come as far as I have. To be able to extend the same help I received to another Veteran means a lot to me. From experience, I can say, “Hey – I've been there, and there's a way out. It's through VA.”
