Will County Pursuing Expanded Space for Veterans Services

New center will be at the heart of a Joliet-based Veteran Support Campus

JOLIET - Will County leaders and the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) have announced a collaboration to create a unified Veteran Assistance and Support Center in Joliet. The center will occupy an existing county building at 1300 Copperfield Avenue and would be at the heart of a centralized campus for Will County veterans.

“Ensuring that veterans and their families have immediate access to services and resources is a top priority of county government,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “This move will be transformational for the VAC and other organizations, creating a single location at the heart of the county for the local veteran community to access their services. I look forward to working with the VAC staff to make this a reality.”

The goal of the project is to house the VAC and other veteran organizations at the county-owned office building, creating a unified “one-stop shop” for veteran services. The VAC would use the expanded footprint to expand existing services, including case management, mental health services, and their physical health program.

“Will County has the third largest veteran population in Illinois, and we are proud to serve them and their families,” said VAC Superintendent Jennifer Solum. “Expanding our footprint will increase the range of services and programs we can provide as the demand for assistance has steadily risen over the years. Our existing space is limited, which has limited our ability to meet this demand. This new facility will allow veterans to interact with local, state, and federal services and resources in a single visit. We look forward to this move, which will empower our team to continue delivering exceptional service to our local veteran community.”

The VAC will occupy at least the first two floors of the four-story office building, with the other space reserved for veteran-focused outside agencies. The expanded space would allow the VAC to hire more veteran service officers, reduce appointment wait times, and expand programmatic offerings.

“Since acquiring this building, county leaders have been discussing how it could support local veterans and their families,” said Will County Capital Improvements Committee Chair Meta Mueller. “I’m proud to see this partnership come to fruition, which I’m confident will set the standard in the state and country for veteran services.”

VAC services include financial assistance, employment assistance, combat veteran counseling, and a homeless veteran prevention program. VAC also coordinates with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on case management and is the only commission of its kind in the state to include in-house staff from the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The Will County Veterans Assistance Commission Members, and Staff, are very pleased there is serious movement with the Copperfield Building,” said VAC President Larry Shaver. “We literally are out of space at our Glenwood location, have converted what little storage space we had into offices, and are facing an increase in veterans seeking our services. A big thank you to Superintendent Solum for her efforts to keep the VAC's need for expansion in the forefront of County Government. Also, many thanks to County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant for her persistence pulling this together. The Copperfield Building Project is pushing forward thanks, in part to the excellent project team working on this.”

The new center would join both the Hines VA’s Joliet Community Based Outpatient Clinic and the Volunteers of America Illinois’ Hope Manor Housing at a new unified Veteran Support Campus on the east side of Joliet. This unified campus will make it easier for veterans and their families to access wrap-around services.

“We are grateful to the VAC for expanding their footprint on the previous Silver Cross Campus as they continue to better serve our veteran population in the region,” said Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy.

Will County acquired the medical office building at 1300 Copperfield Avenue in 2021. It was constructed in 2003 and was previously connected to the former Silver Cross Hospital. The county has budgeted funds to retrofit the building’s 72,000 square feet to meet the needs of the VAC and other veteran organizations. Construction is estimated to be completed in early 2026.