Overview
Illinois Joining Forces (IJF) was launched in 2012, through an inter-governmental agreement between the Illinois Departments of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) and Military Affairs (IDMA) as a statewide, public-private network of military and veteran serving organizations working together to improve services for Service-members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF).
No one organization can do it all. But veterans shouldn’t have to wander from office to office – or Website to Website – to determine who does what and which organization can best meet their needs.
Our Mission: Illinois Joining Forces (IJF) is a statewide, public-private network of veteran and military serving organizations. Through the use of our coordination center, we collaborate in-person and online to help service members, veterans, and their family members identify and marshal resources and services available to them throughout the state of Illinois.
Our Vision: The consistent collaboration among our partner service organizations is critical to the successful execution of the IJF mission. We focus on identifying the specific needs of our constituents (service members, veterans, and their families; SMVF) through our online and personal communication processes.
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1-877-236-7702 to connect with someone from IJF
Our Resources
Discover who we work with in the Illinois Community
Connecting the Military Population
To The Service Providers & Resources,
They Need.
IJF serves as a clearinghouse for the data collected so that multiple forms and intakes from our partner organizations can be managed in one single location. Many times a client may enter a request for multiple areas of assistance with this single location our team is able to stay organized and find assistance for the individual in a timely manner. Most importantly, our coordination center provides referral follow-up and feedback to both the veteran service organization and the veteran so that we can confident that we fulfilled the stated and agreed upon need.
Community is the Source
IJF knows that the best way to reach veterans in need is through the communities that they reside in. This is why we rely on our Veteran Support Communities (VSCs) to help us identify the best veteran service organizations in their area to refer veterans to.
Quality Control
For our partner organizations, Illinois Joining Forces continuously assesses for quality control and efficiency. Our reputation lies in the organizations within the IJF network and communities we serve.
IJF is organized around the following nine Task Forces
- Family, Children, and Survivors
- Behavioral Health
- Benefits & Emergency Assistance
- Education
- Employment & Job Training
- Financial Literacy
- Homelessness & Housing
- Legal Support
- Women Veterans
Current Veteran Support Communities
- Lake and McHenry County