MSAC Takes Over DC

The Military Spouse Advisory Council is made up of five dedicated individuals who are passionate advocates for the issues impacting the military community today. In May, they were invited to Washington D.C. for an interview with Military Families Magazine and a photoshoot. The interview article will be featured in the August edition of the magazine.

While being interviewed by the reporter, the council really tried to hone in on their collective belief that the MSAC is a unique opportunity and one that other organizations should pay attention to. There is no pain point or vital issue left untouched and it’s all supported by Caliber Home Loans.

On hand for the interview was Krista Simpson Anderson, who is developing a Gold Star Legacy program for Caliber. As legal language develops to define Gold Star, Caliber will develop a program with Krista’s guidance that offers a lifetime worth of support to the families of our fallen.

Also present was Megan Harless, an expert in the field of PCS Reform. Her role with the MSAC and Caliber will focus on education of not only our lenders but our industry partners. She has filmed several videos that will be going out and has been approached to speak at the International Moving Conference in October. With her leading the way, Caliber will be at the forefront of knowledge for this challenging process and ensuring they are caring for their military affiliated clients in the way they need and deserve.

As the nation reels from increasing rates of homelessness, our veterans are following that trend. Marla Bautista is an Army spouses devoted to eradicating it. She will be working with branches in targeted areas of the country to develop a veteran homeless support program. To kick it off, Caliber employees will learn from her directly on how to create a blessing bag. The program is in development stages and should launch officially at the end of the summer.

Employment and understanding the needs of our underserved populations of the military community is at the heart of what Brian Alvarado fights for. He is actively working alongside Caliber to develop a survey for LGBTQ military affiliated in order to understand their unique needs and possible discrimination they face. He is also actively working with Caliber to increase veteran and military spouse hiring opportunities throughout Caliber offices nationwide.

Caliber is working closely with Military Spouse Advocacy Network and CEO, Verenice Castillo. Her nonprofit has an excellent mentoring program that pairs new spouses with seasoned spouses to more easily navigate military life. Although unable to attend the interview in DC, she is working hard to develop opportunities to continue to educate new military spouses and support their needs.

Lastly, as the chair of MSAC, my role is to uplift the council members and their causes while also establishing an ambassadorship program in target areas of the country for Caliber branches. This allows change making military spouses to partner with Caliber to serve and dig into their communities.