"Ohio Valley Goodwill's Community Liaison John Briggs Named Unsung Hero"

John Briggs, Goodwill’s Community Liaison with award from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans The Board of Directors of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) recently named John Briggs, Community Liaison of Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, as its ” Unsung Hero” in recognition of personal contributions and work with America’s homeless veterans. John has worked at Ohio Valley Goodwill since 1987 and with Goodwill’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration program since 1993. Each year the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans accepts nominations from its membership and selects one person they feel is most deserving of the Unsung Hero award from hundreds of submissions. The coalition is a non-profit organization which is the resource and technical assistance center for the national network of community-based service providers that work in support of hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year. Once nominations for the Unsung Hero are closed, the NCHV board and staff select one person they feel is most deserving of the award. The award is indeed one which honors John’s many years of dedication and service to our nation’s homeless veterans. John was also recently recognized by the Board of Directors of Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries with a Certificate of Appreciation. At Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, John has worked with community agencies that serve veterans and he works especially close with the Continuum of Care, a consortium of thirty-three agencies that provide service to veterans. John has also served as the Chairman of the Cincinnati Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), a data base management system that is used nationally to help track homeless veterans. He has also worked with other faith based organizations that serve veterans and worked at the national level to help develop concepts of potential legislation. John has served on a forum to develop permanent housing options for homeless veterans as well. In his role at Ohio Valley Goodwill, John has managed the annual spring Stand Down in Cincinnati and worked cooperatively with HUD agencies in Cincinnati to assist homeless individuals. He has also worked to help other non-veterans and especially individuals and families with specific issues. He has been a featured speaker at the VA Conference on Homelessness and has been an invited speaker before the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans. John has been a resident of Finneytown since 1981 where he lives with his wife, Shirlie. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and holds graduate degrees from Kent State University and Indiana State. He is a published writer and an avid tennis player. John is committed to the needs of the population that he serves and represents. Goodwill congratulates John for this most deserving award.