The Santa Clarita Veterans Services Collaborative announced the opening of a new place for veterans Monday.

For the leaders of the Veterans Services Collaborative, the new area for veterans, at 26111 Bouquet Canyon Road, is one of many ambitious goals the group has to help veterans.

“This new facility represents the kind of thing the (SCV) Veterans Services Collaborative is all about,” said Elliott Wolfe, one of several co-founders of the group. “We want veterans to have a place to hang out with other veterans, get to know new veterans and build a supportive community,” added his wife, Judy Wolfe.

Click here for the Veterans Services Collaborative website, scv-vets.org.

Elliott and Judy Wolfe, in collaboration with Murray Wood, Jerry Buckley, and others at the College of the Canyons, formed a group to make sure veterans know help is out there, the Veterans Services Collaborative, which already counts more than 60 businesses and community-based organizations among its members, in less than a year since formation, including KHTS.

The group was formed from the recognition of three facets of the veteran population: There’s a high population of veterans in Santa Clarita; there’s a big desire to help veterans; and veterans are often unlikely to reach out for resources, regardless of whether they’re aware of them.

More than 10,000 Santa Clarita Valley residents are veterans who’ve served in the various branches of the armed forces.

The new center is sponsored by the Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative, located on Bouquet Canyon Road, just south of IHOP in the Santa Clarita Plaza, (in buildings G and H) within the Los Angeles County Community Center facilities, and now open to serve local veterans and their families.

In addition to a full referral desk, where sources for employment, education, counseling, transportation, legal services, mentoring and business planning resources can be accessed. There’s also a children’s room where youngsters can occupy themselves while mom and dad transact business, Elliott Wolfe said. There’s also a full computer room, a social hall, meeting rooms, and a kitchen where daily refreshments are prepared, not to mention accessibility to the food bank stocked by local businesses.

The Veteran Services Collaborative has numerous additional resources planned, but it’s also looking for feedback and input from veterans, who are the whole purpose of this particular mission, Elliott said

For veterans and the family and friends of veteran looking for information on the services available or how to help those who’ve served, check out the website here.