DAYTON, Ohio — From basic needs like help with groceries, to legal services, finding a service dog and everything in-between, one unique program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton is helping military members and their families navigate ways to find resources.

For nearly a year, the Wright-Patt Connect Program has been making a difference and program directors say securing future funding is critical.

What You Need To Know

  • Wright-Patt Connect Program helps connect service members and their families with community resources

  • The program covers a wide range of services like mental health help, immediate food assistance, and even help finding service dogs

  • Funding for the program ends in September and directors are seeking other funding options
  • Directors say they have seen an increase in calls over the past few months as changes take shape across the DOD

“Truly this is the most rewarding position that I’ve ever had,” said Noelle Diller.

Diller is a military souse, first responder and the program coordinator for Wright-Patt Connect.

Thomas Tirey is a veteran, former police officer, and the Director of the Integrated Resilience Office on base.

Wright-Patt Connect bridges the gap between looking for community services and actually getting them.

Diller says nothing is really off the table.

“If they want us to warm-hand them and walk them to that resource or call that resource with them we will,” Diller said.

“If they have a problem connecting that day, the nav-care provider calls back. They tell them I wasn’t able to get anybody on the phone, the phone was busy…well then the nav-care connects them again,” Tirey said.

The concept phase for the program started three years ago and piloted at several different bases.

Now with one year left, Wright-Patt is the only program still up and running.  

“Wright-Patt I love to say, we’ve executed probably the best, had the best results,” said Tirey.

 Within the past ten months a lot of people have been connected.

“We’ve had over 100 open cases and over 150 referrals, but with those referrals there has been 2200 encounters. So that’s us sticking with that one referral and making sure that everything they needed, that they’re taken care of,” said Diller.

 Diller and Tirey say over recent months they’ve seen calls increase as changes take shape across the Department of Defense.

“That only makes sense too. People are a bit fearful about what they may not understand or they don’t have control of. Anxiety is up,” said Tirey.

“In this time of need, in this time of stress, in this time of anxiety where we don’t know what’s coming, to find peace that there is live communication, live care navigation for those people,” Diller said.

The hope is for the care to continue, but Tirey says there’s work to do.

“We have to get sustainable funding for it to go forward after September. So we’re literally looking for maybe state funding, a grant, or something,” he said.

 The cost for the program to continue is just over $230,000 a year.

“Even if it’s year by year until DOD decides this is program that is worth reproducing and they would fund it. It’s a no brainer to me to continue it,” Tirey said.

Along with connecting military members and their families to resources, the program can also help with immediate assistance.

Recently they’ve opened a food pantry to help service members when budgets get tight.

For more information, click here, or call 844-927-6663.