According to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, there are approximately 300,000 veterans living in Oregon today. It is a diverse community, spanning four generations with service in five major wars. They are men and women, young and old, urban and rural. One in 14 Oregonians is a veteran.

Because Oregonians care so deeply about the welfare of our veteran community, voters directed Lottery dollars to help fund veteran services. Since then, 1.5% of all Oregon Lottery funds have gone annually to help veterans with essential services like healthcare, job placement, education and home loans. They also help address the difficult but important topics of homelessness and mental health among our veteran population.

Oregonians care about each other, especially those who protect us at home and abroad. Creating this new level of support for veteran services is Oregon’s way of saying thank you, and welcome home.