Community Engagement

The annual report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights issues reported by service members in 2023. The report is relevant for service providers working with military families navigating financial challenges and barriers. For example, credit or consumer reporting remains the highest complaint overall for both civilians and the military community. Service providers provide support for military families before, during, and after an issue arises.

November marks National Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor, celebrate, and recognize the dedicated individuals who selflessly provide care to loved ones in need. A caregiver is someone who helps bridge the gap between the needs of the individual and their abilities, including, but not limited to illness, disability, or age-related challenges (Easterseals, n.d.).

Natural disasters like coastal flooding, heat waves, and hurricanes are just a few of the issues that can affect military families and military installations that are on or near coastlines. As we see year after year with each hurricane season, these storms have far-reaching impacts to infrastructure and communities.

Students receiving special education services (IDEA, 2004) periodically transition to new programs (e.g., early intervention [EI] to early childhood special education [ECSE], middle to high school). Many students, including students from military families, will move to a new location at various points in their lives (see Williams et al., 2020).

Whether you’re supporting a service member transitioning to civilian employment, alongside a military spouse, or helping both as they explore options for their child(ren), discover four ways for military families to plan for education expenses. 

Military life is synonymous with change. Military family practitioners know that, for service members and their families, transitions are a constant companion. From relocations to deployments, the military lifestyle demands adaptability, resilience, and a strong support system. Understanding these transitions and learning how to navigate them can make all the difference in maintaining family cohesion and individual well-being.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and it’s an important time to focus on suicide awareness and ways we as service professionals can support our clients. As we all know, suicide awareness and prevention isn’t just a one-month-a-year concern; it is an everyday concern. Suicide prevention efforts are also critical in our work with military service members and their families.

Identify ways for service providers to intervene with service members experiencing shame including rapport building, externalizing, spending diaries, and more.