Cape Breton veterans to open centre to help fellow veterans

Some military veterans in Sydney will open a help and drop-in centre in just a few weeks as they try to fill the void created by the closure of the local Veterans Affairs office.

It's the pet project of Vince Rigby, who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after a service posting in Bosnia.

He has complained since the closure of the Veterans Affairs office about a lack of one-on-one assistance and a complicated and impersonal online process.

A few months ago, he learned about a New Brunswick group, Veterans Helping Veterans, which has offered him money to establish the office in Sydney.

He said it will an important place for veterans.

"Guys with severe PTSD can't do crowds and can't do certain things, so we can come here," he said."We have our one-on-one spots and, yeah, it's just a comfort zone."

Rigby said the new centre will try to provide some of the services once offered at their local VA office.

"If they're having problems with their appeals and we have other guys that have already gone through the system, like myself, that know a lot about paperwork, so we can help them out with that," Rigby said. "If they haven't got a doctor, we can get them a doctor."

Rigby said the centre is prepared to help vets in crisis.

"We can hook them up with a doctor, a psychiatrist, psychologist...and then we have just a safe zone where they can come, sit down and have a coffee," he said.

The centre will be located in a rented space at 320 Kings Rd. in Sydney, behind the Medical Arts building.

A campaign is underway to attract furniture and office supply donationas. 

The office will open early next month.