U.S.VETS—Long Beach

10/09/2026

Nice to meet you!

Last week, the career services team at U.S.VETS Long Beach was honored to host a job fair bringing together employers, veterans and community partners to build professional camaraderie and help connect veterans with hiring managers.

The fair was a chance for veteran job-seekers to showcase their commitment to teamwork, responsibility and mission-focused problem solving with local employers who are looking to hire them.

Twenty veterans were among 37 attendees at the fair to meet with prospective employers and vendors representing healthcare, government, education, staffing and recruitment, construction, nonprofit organizations, transportation and logistics and public services.

Thank you to all the community partners and employers attending, including: Personal Assistance Services Council, LA County Probation Dept., LA County Dept. of Public Social Services, Fairway Staffing, Community Legal Aid SoCal, PRIDE Industries, AbilityFirst, ATC-West Healthcare, International Institute of LA – Metro LIFE Program, Long Beach Unified schools, Revolution National Pest Council, Comfort Paradise Home Care, Power2Workers, Heavy Equipment Driver College, Managed Career Solutions, Westcliff University and Maxim Healthcare.

Together, we’re

09/18/2026

09/15/2026

“That’s the sole purpose of living, to help others.”
Service lights up purpose for Marine veteran Oral Barkley of U.S.VETS Long Beach and inspires hope during .

08/31/2026

🏄‍♂️🌊 We’re still riding the wave of an incredible Surf for Vets presented by Valero!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Valero and the many sponsors, partners, surfers, volunteers, and community members who showed up in support of U.S.VETS Long Beach, this year’s event was our most successful Surf for Vets to date—raising an outstanding $100,600! 🎉

Every dollar raised helps U.S.VETS Long Beach continue providing critical housing, career, mental health, and supportive services to veterans and their families as they build pathways toward stability and independence.

We are immensely grateful to Valero for their longstanding partnership and commitment to those who served, and to every partner who helped make this milestone possible. 🇺🇸💙

We’re already counting down to next year! 🌊🏄‍♀️

06/26/2026

Long Beach, you showed up in a BIG way! 🌴☀️

Thank you to our incredible participants, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners for making this year’s Steps for Vets 5K/10K – Run, Walk, Roll 🏃🏼🚶🏻‍♀️👨🏽‍🦽‍➡️ presented by Marathon Petroleum on May 30 such a memorable success.

From the beautiful waterfront views 🌊 to the Queen Mary 🚢 standing proudly in the background, it was the perfect setting to come together in support of our veterans.

There’s still time to make an impact! ❤️ Donations remain open through June 30.

📸 View event photos and donate through the link in our bio.

We’ll see you back at the starting line in 2027! 🎉

04/17/2026

Of all the events that carried John Wimberly from South Los Angeles to the Marine Corps—and through alcoholism, homelessness and finally to stability in his own apartment—a moment of good fortune in 2014 felt predestined.

“God was basically guiding me through the process. I had pneumonia and was supposed to be in the hospital for two weeks. Someone prayed for me, and I got out in four days,” Wimberly recalls. “I signed up with a law firm to get a portion of my disability backpay. When I showed up, the clerk said, ‘We’re going to give you all of this.’ A series of events started happening, and it was an amazing couple of weeks.”

In recovery since, Wimberly speaks with other veterans on their paths to wellness. He earned associate degrees in addiction counseling and is working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work—his true passion after decades in customer service.

At another crossroads in 2025, a team from U.S.VETS Long Beach found Wimberly after he was evicted when rising rent outpaced his income. It marked a new chapter after years of navigating housing vouchers, motels and shelters, including help from the Long Beach Rescue Mission, and surviving on the streets where he grew up.

“When I needed shelter, I slept on bus stop benches. I refused to lay on the ground because I knew the concrete drains energy from your body,” he says.

Returning from service, Wimberly says his dependency on alcohol worsened, and career advancement felt out of reach.

As he rebuilt again, U.S.VETS Long Beach connected Wimberly, a father of seven and proud grandfather, with Supportive Services for Veteran Families, providing assistance with rent, utilities, food and necessities.

“Everybody at U.S.VETS has bent over backwards to try to assist me,” Wimberly adds. “I used to be fearful to ask for help. We’re in the military. We’ve been trained to be self-sufficient. We don’t want to ask for help, but sometimes we have to.”