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State Parks To Hire Homeless Veterans

The Arizona Parks Department is teaming with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to create job opportunities for homeless vets.

It’s an effort to transition the vets back into the workforce, according to state Parks Director Bryan Martyn. He says the veterans have many of the skills needed for the temporary park specialist jobs.

Parks officials say there are 107 temporary employees in such positions around the state right now and the jobs become available on a regular basis.

The state Parks Department has been working to identify candidates from its ‘at risk for homeless’ groups and five have been hired so far.

Parks officials say the vets will be able to learn new skills and some may become full-time park rangers in the future. 

Arizona is hoping to become a national model for state parks, helping the vets find physical and challenging outdoor jobs that match their skills.

Dennis Lambert was a morning host at KJZZ.