Clatsop County has a new veterans service officer who will help veterans obtain benefits.

Stephen Bobian, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and the former veterans service officer for Jackson County, started on Aug. 3.

The county shifted the contract for the position in May from Luke Thomas, a Coast Guard veteran, to Clatsop Community Action, a social service agency.

The goal was to expand outreach to the county’s more than 3,600 veterans and help make the agency’s social services, such as housing assistance, more accessible.

About a dozen people, including veterans and state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, shared testimony in favor of awarding the contract to Thomas.

More than 30 people applied for the position under Clatsop Community Action, including Thomas. He was a finalist for the post.

Viviana Matthews, the executive director of Clatsop Community Action, said Bobian has experience working with a diverse population of veterans.

“The most important thing was the outreach piece. And he was able show how much outreach he has done,” she said.

Matthews said Bobian will learn about all the services the agency offers and will work closely with case managers.

“If somebody qualifies for our services because of their income, they will be referred to us right away and he will be able to speak about our services to the veterans who qualify for our services,” she said.

Bobian has worked in veteran services in Josephine and Jackson counties since 2017. When the position opened in Clatsop County, he said he couldn’t pass it up, since he considers Astoria his hometown.

While in the Coast Guard, Bobian spent more than four years stationed in Astoria. He transferred to Alaska, but eventually came back and spent more than three years working as a brewer and bartender at Buoy Beer Co. while attending the Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station program at Clatsop Community College.

His fiancee is also from the area.

“One of my main goals is to be able to serve the community in which I served both in the military and out of the military, and give back to the community,” Bobian said.