This week, Pittsburgh City Paper joins other local media, old and new, by taking part in "Coming Home PA," a joint effort to document the experiences of Western Pennsylvania veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our stories, on veterans becoming more politically engaged, and how the military is contending with sex assaults on the increasing number of female soldiers in the service, join reports filed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Essential Public Radio, The New Pittsburgh Courier, and other outlets. The effort was coordinated by PublicSource, a nonprofit journalism venture in the mode of ProPublica.

A full index of Coming Home PA stories is below:

• The Allegheny Front: Back from Iraq and taking comfort in the outdoors.
• The Allegheny Front: Sierra Club helps veterans overcome post-combat issues through activity.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Returning vets are fighting for jobs
• PublicSource: Troops returning to face more struggles back home.
• Essential Public Radio: For veterans, coming home isn't always easy
• Essential Public Radio: For veterans with PTSD, building relationships is no easy task.
• Pop City: Shepherd's Heart: Helping returning vets find their way
• New Pittsburgh Courier Blacks see benefit of military service