Poughkeepsie … The Dutchess County Division of Veterans Services invites veterans, their families and all residents to come and visit the new MHA Veterans One Stop for a special Open House event on Friday, April 21st from 1-3 p.m. The new facility is located at 1335 Route 44 in Pleasant Valley. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the new space and learn about various services available to veterans throughout Dutchess County.

The Dutchess County Veterans One Stop is owned and operated by Mental Health America of Dutchess County (MHA).   The building was donated to the MHA in 2022 by the owners of Pleasant Valley Medical Arts LLC.   MHA Executive Director Andrew O’Grady said, “This building, the creation of this new Veterans One Stop, has been a gamechanger. It has enabled us to expand our successful Vet 2 Vet programs and bring together the key veterans services agencies, including Dutchess County Veterans Services, under one roof, making it easier than ever for our veterans to access services.”

Currently, the Veterans One Stop houses the following agencies/programs:

• MHA Vet 2 Vet program
• Dutchess County Veterans Services
• Hudson Valley Veterans Alliance
• Veterans Sportsmen Association
• Federal Veterans Administration offices

The public is invited to tour the welcoming and supportive space, which includes a Veterans Food Pantry and a Clothing & Household Closet, each of which feature items donated by the community that are available free of charge to local veterans and their families. Attendees can also see how effective the new building is to connecting veterans from one resource to another.

“We have seen an immediate impact since moving into the Veterans One Stop,” said County Veterans Services Director Adam Roche, whose office relocated to the One Stop in January. “While many veterans left our former office in Poughkeepsie with a referral to another agency, our staff can now walk them to that next provider down the hall, completing the warm hand-off so they can get several of their needs met under one roof.  The convenient location has also resulted in the number of walk-in visits to our office tripling in just the few months we’ve been here, and we couldn’t be happier to serve even more of Dutchess County’s heroes.”

In addition to touring the facility during the open house, veterans can sign up for the Find & Assist Veterans of Record (F.A.V.O.R.) discount card, accepted at many businesses throughout Dutchess County, while enjoying refreshments, music and entertainment from WRWD’s Uncle Mike.

Additional information about Dutchess County Veterans Services is available at dutchessny.gov/veterans.