PORTLAND, Maine — It's no secret that Maine is in need of workers, especially in the health care world. So why not military veterans?
"Maine needs workers and veterans make a main source of workforce talent," Colonel William Benson, executive director of Boots2Roots said.
Boots2Roots works to find jobs and housing for veterans and has done just that for more than 200 military veterans and their families who have decided to call Vacationland home. Including, the Bell family. Randy Bell and his wife both got jobs here in Maine.
"They're not from Maine originally, so now we have this great family. They're both working, they both took jobs here in the state, they have two young kids who are going to grow up and take those entry-level jobs," Benson said.
Now, Boots2Roots is partnering with Live and Work in Maine to try to get more veterans here to help solve the state's workforce crisis. By putting up billboards on highways in the San Antonio area.
Benson said this is a strategic move.
"That's where all of the medical training for the Army, Navy, and Air Force takes place," he said.
"As we know there is a huge need for healthcare workers in Maine, so we thought, 'Why not target an area that already has a lot of health care workers?'" Katie Shorey from Live and Work in Maine added.
But bringing people to Maine doesn't come without its problems.
"We're definitely having challenges with housing and child care, and until we can crack those nuts, it's going to be an uphill battle," Shorey said.
Benson and Shorey said their organizations won't see the effects of these billboards for a while, but they have already seen increased web traffic from that area.