New statewide initiative empowers military spouses to keep careers on track

SEATTLE - A first-in-the-nation initiative to help military spouses keep their careers on track is now going strong in Washington.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that military spouses are unemployed or under-employed at a rate 4 times that of their civilian counterparts.

Service members are often re-assigned to new jobs in different cities, making it difficult for their spouses to keep their careers on track.

"As a spouse, I've had to reinvent myself many times, being in places where often nobody knew what to do with me as a job and I didn't know what to do with myself," said Michele Helfgott-Waters, the wife of career serviceman.

She and her husband are now at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, just one of almost a dozen military installations in our state.

Collectively, the military's the second-largest employer in Washington state and the state department of Veterans affairs says there's a lot of competition for talent in today's military.

"Of young people 18 to 24, only 1 in 8 are able to get into the military and they're bringing family members with them," said Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, the Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

She said for spouses, it's more than just furthering their careers. Alvarado-Ramos, says it's a financial must for many military families who can't survive on a government salary alone.

She said that it's not uncommon to have someone come into the junior ranks as a Lt. or Private, with a family of three or four.

"They cannot thrive because the salary is not enough for a family to make ends meet. Spouses deserve the opportunity to have their own career and feel fulfilled in a support role while also fulfilling their dreams," said Alvarado-Ramos.

The Hiring Our Heroes spouse program empowers them and leads them to businesses, both national and local, to further their careers.

Hiring our Heroes launched at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle and then moved on to Amazon, talking with local business owners on how they can help spouses with their careers.

"The intention is to create a one stop shop for military spouses," said Elizabeth O'Brien with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

That one stop shop is now online, with specific resources just for military spouses in Washington.