Will County officials and the local veteran community celebrated the new Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County (VAC) office on Wednesday, representing a new consolidated center for veteran services in Will County.

The new space in Joliet is centered at what officials describe as the first unified veteran support campus in Illinois.

“Today we’re not just celebrating a larger building. We’re celebrating a better way to serve veterans with the care and services they need and deserve,” VAC President Larry Shaver said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new site reflects “the strong progress of this commission, empowering us to reach more veterans, provide additional services, and strengthen the support we offer every day,” Shaver said.

The VAC relocated from its previous leased location into the newly renovated county-owned building at 1300 Copperfield Ave. in Joliet.

Also on the campus is Hines VA’s Joliet Community Based Outpatient Clinic and the Volunteers of America Illinois’ Hope Manor Housing at a unified Veteran Support Campus.

The renovated building also houses the Workforce Center of Will County, offering free employment services to Will County residents and businesses.

“Everything we do here is to make sure all our veterans are supported, respected, and never have to stand alone,” Shaver said.

The new location represents a large increase in VAC office space, from about 4,300 square feet to 16,000 square foot space.

VAC can now expand services to local veterans and their families by hiring more veteran service officers, reducing appointment wait times, and increasing programs, the county said in a news release.

“This is a transformational improvement to veteran services in Will County, creating a new centralized campus and expanded space for assistance and support resources,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

The expanded space will allow for “community-centric care that our veterans deserve,” she said.

Part of those services includes counseling spaces, a food pantry for veterans, and a modern fitness center to support the VAC’s mental health and physical health wellness programs.

Over 150 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which included a tour of the new assistance and support center, occupying the first two floors of the building.

One of those in attendance was Tony Arrelano, a founding member of the VAC and Commander of the Joliet Veterans of Foreign Wars 367 and American Legion 1080. The commission was founded in 1993.

Will County acquired the building at 1300 Copperfield Ave. in February 2021 and budgeted funds to retrofit the first two floors to serve as the home of the VAC.

The building was originally constructed in 2003 and served as a medical office building connected to the former Silver Cross Hospital.

“I want to thank the team of fierce veteran advocates in our office who deliver on our mission every day, the Commission members who continue to serve even after they’ve taken off the uniform, and our county executive and county board for making this expansion a reality,” said VAC Superintendent Jen Solum.