(BIVN) – A new veteran resource center has opened at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. 

Officials blessed the Veteran Student Services Resource Center (VSSRC) on Tuesday, September 30th. The area is dedicated “to providing veterans, military-affiliated students, and their families a safe space to network, connect, and access vital support through campus and community-based programs,” the University says. 

From a UH news release:

“This non-judgmental, supportive space will have such a positive impact on our veteran community on this campus,” said Josh Sze, a Navy veteran, UH Hilo student, and founder of the Hawaiʻi Island Veterans Club. “Just having a place where a group of vets can just listen to you — not tell you what to do, not try to control your journey, not say you’re wrong or dismiss you — but to honor you and validate your experience; where you can just be seen.”

photo of Josh Sze from video courtesy University of Hawaiʻi

“I want this to be a one-stop shop for veterans to connect with resources — whether it’s nonprofits, whether it is through the VA, whether it’s through any other organization that is vet-friendly — you don’t have to navigate it alone,” described Sze, who says veterans often struggle with accessing their medical, disability, or educational benefits. “You have support here, and you have a community here.”

Sze has been advocating for such a space for more than two years, working alongside university leadership and community partners to bring the VSSRC to fruition. He expressed gratitude to key supporters, including Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda and U.S. Congresswoman Jill Tokuda (CD-2), who visited the center during a recent campus tour.

“Every single student and person in there has sacrificed on behalf of our country in some way,” said Congresswoman Tokuda. “What I know, sadly, is we have failed them in many ways, and we have to do better. I truly appreciate the fact that here at UH Hilo, they actually have a place to gather together. The outreach they’re doing, the connections they’re making, the advocacy they have provided — this is going to make a huge difference.”

UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin praised the swift progress from idea to implementation. “One of the most important things we do with the university is we serve — our students, our community — and what better way than through those who have served our country.”

photo courtesy University of Hawaiʻi

The center will serve as a hub for both UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College students who are veterans, service members, or military-affiliated family members. According to the UH Hilo Registrar’s Office, this fall, 108 students at UH Hilo are enrolled using VA benefits.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander Ben Fuata called the center a “power projection platform” for collaboration between education, community, and industry. “This is where education and opportunity come together,” he said. “Now that we have a space, we can attract state and federal partners, private industry, and community organizations to bridge the gap between learning and real opportunities for veterans.”

For Sze, the VSSRC represents a crucial step toward addressing long-standing gaps in veteran support systems. While addressing the Open House crowd, he highlighted alarming statistics: more veterans have died by suicide since 2001 than in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. “We have to do something different. We can’t just keep letting our veterans come home from war and suffer in silence,” Sze said.

Organizers hope the VSSRC will become a first stop for veterans returning to school, offering a space to build connections, reduce isolation, and access resources that can help address challenges such as mental health issues, housing and food insecurity, as well as workforce readiness.

“By creating this resource center and pipeline, there will be ripple effects—on addiction, homelessness, food insecurity,” Sze said. “I believe all of that can be improved through community. Just having people who care.”

The VSSRC will also support the student-led Hawaiʻi Island Veterans Club, which will host events and activities to strengthen bonds among veterans on campus.

“We may have to find them a bigger space — but for now, we’ve got a place to start. We’ve got people who are dedicated to our veteran student success, and I’m just so excited to move forward,” said Chancellor Irwin.