After nearly a decade as commander of American Legion Post 5 in Aberdeen, Gwyn Tarrence already knew many veterans before she applied to help them with a position through Grays Harbor County six months ago.

Since then she’s had more than 100 meetings with veterans.

That number may be a fraction of the new faces she’ll see in years to come.

For the last six months, Tarrence has served as Grays Harbor County’s veterans’ ombudsman — a liaison or navigator for social services.

With Tarrence’s temporary contract set to expire at the end of August, the Grays Harbor County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to sign Tarrence to a yearly contract, meaning the ombudsman is here to stay.

“The success that she’s been getting is awesome,” District 1 County Commissioner Jill Warne said at a commissioner’s meeting Tuesday.

Warne, along with five veterans representatives from around the county, make up the Veterans Advisory Board, which advises county commissioners on veterans issues. Members of the board pegged Tarrence to lead the pilot after recognizing that many veterans struggle to navigate the complex system of social services and often don’t receive help.

State law requires each county in Washington to establish a Veterans’ Relief Fund, which is available to veterans for basic resources. The fund is “a fund of last resort and in no way can it be construed as a veterans’ benefit,” according to a Grays Harbor County Public Health website.

To be eligible for the fund, veterans must have been honorably discharged, a resident of Grays Harbor County for at least six months, and have an income below 200% — or twice the amount — of the federal poverty level. That’s about $29,000 per year for a single person household, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Despite a large number of veterans in Grays Harbor County — nearly 10% of the population — only a handful have accessed the fund in recent years. County data shows fewer than $10,000 in claims were drawn from the fund in 2022, a record low for the last decade, down from $40,000 in 2014.

Tarrence reversed the trend this year. According to a county data report with statistics through the month of July, Tarrence has helped eight veterans make Veterans Relief Fund claims — totalling more than $15,000 — in six months, nearly the same amount of claims made in all of 2022.

“The data report speaks volumes for what Gwyn’s been able to do,” said Grays Harbor County Public Health Director Mike McNickle on Tuesday. “The program’s been in existence for quite some time, but it really didn’t have that hands-on approach. We had some smattering of folks doing it as part of other duties. She’s really been focused over the last six months.”

Among others, relief claims included healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and survivor benefits — money to spouses upon the passing of a veteran.

Given the bump in claims, along with Tarrence’s $18,000 yearly stipend from the same source, District 3 Commissioner Vickie Raines asked about the health of the Veterans’ Relief Fund on Tuesday.

Revenue from the fund comes from a Grays Harbor County property tax levy at one and one-eighth cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. County commissioners have the option to raise the levy to bring in more revenue for the fund, but declined to do so Tuesday. McNickle said the board could revisit the topic as the ombudsman project continues.

Warne said Tuesday the fund is “really solid,” and told The Daily World in March the balance contained $137,000, before the start of the pilot project. The current levy brought in about $10,700 for 2023.

Tarrence has done more than connect veterans with the fund. She has worked regularly with social service organizations like Coastal Community Action Program and The Moore Wright Group, helped to secure housing for two homeless veterans and linked one family with past-due mortgage assistance.

“The veterans fund doesn’t cover everything,” Tarrence said. “There’s so many other programs out there that unless you know about the program … they don’t really do a lot of advertising.”

It’s difficult for Tarrence to pinpoint exactly how many hours she has devoted to the position since March. She’s always on call on her county phone (360-660-2640), and sometimes makes connections with conversations at the grocery store or at other events.

She said her biggest challenge so far has been finding a safe place to meet with veterans. Public libraries have filled that role so far but aren’t always ideal for sensitive conversations, she said.

Her goal is to bring a veterans service center to Grays Harbor County, similar to Lacey’s Veterans Services Hub that brings together access to a slew of service providers.

“I think it should be all under one roof,” Tarrence said. “Someday, maybe.”

Contact reporter Clayton Franke at 406-552-3917 or clayton.franke@thedailyworld.com.