Military Appreciation Month is a time to reflect not only on the service of our nation’s Veterans, but on our collective responsibility to support them when they return home. 

At Community Hope, that responsibility is at the core of everything we do. For decades, we have been dedicated to helping individuals and families overcome mental illness, homelessness, and poverty—with a deep and unwavering commitment to Veterans. We believe that the words homeless and Veteran should never go together and our work is grounded in providing not just services, but stability, dignity, and hope.

What Are Common Veteran Challenges When Transitioning Out of Service?

The Veterans we serve often face complex and interconnected challenges. Many are navigating housing instability or homelessness, while also managing mental health conditions, including PTSD. Others encounter barriers to employment or experience a profound sense of isolation after transitioning out of military life. These challenges rarely exist in isolation, which is why our approach focuses on whole-person care—addressing both the clinical and non-clinical needs that are essential to long-term stability and well-being.

How is Community Hope Addressing Some of These Challenges?

To meet these needs, Community Hope has built a comprehensive continuum of care designed to support Veterans at every stage of their journey. Our Veterans housing programs provide safe, stable environments that serve as a foundation for rebuilding lives. Through supportive services, including case management, employment assistance, and skill building groups, we help vVeterans regain independence. Our rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention case management programs offer compassionate, individualized care, and our Case Managers ensure that each Veteran is connected to the right resources at the right time. Our SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program team is able to provide critical support, resource navigation, education, lethal means safety, and much more so that Veterans and their families don’t have to go it alone. 

As the needs of Veterans have evolved, so too have our programs—expanding to provide more integrated and responsive support.

How Do Cross-Sector Partnerships Improve Veteran Outcomes?

Central to this work is the understanding that no single organization can do it alone. Partnership is not just a strategy for Community Hope—it is a necessity. By working alongside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, The NJ Department of Veterans Affairs, The NJ Department of Community Affairs, local housing authorities, healthcare providers, and corporate and philanthropic partners, we are able to extend our reach and strengthen our impact.

Utilizing Unite Us to receive closed-loop referrals also allows us to expand our reach, especially nationally. Unite Us also allows us to have a secure platform to communicate with referring entities and Veterans who refer themselves for services. Through Unite Us, we can also collaborate with referring entities in order to reach Veterans who may be hard to reach. These collaborations create a more seamless system of care, helping to ensure that Veterans do not fall through the cracks and can access the services they need more quickly and effectively.

Cross-sector collaboration also allows us to think beyond immediate needs and toward long-term solutions. 

By leveraging the strengths of our partners, we are better equipped to address the root causes of homelessness and mental health challenges among Veterans. This network of support enables us to deliver more coordinated, holistic care—ultimately leading to better outcomes for those we serve.

What’s Next for Advancing Veteran Care?

Looking ahead, we are inspired by the opportunity to expand our impact even further. We are committed to reaching more veterans, deepening our partnerships, and continuing to innovate in how we deliver care. As the landscape of veterans’ needs continues to change, we remain focused on developing solutions that not only respond to crises but help prevent them—empowering Veterans to build sustainable, independent futures.

What drives us most is the shared commitment we see across our community of partners and supporters. When organizations and individuals come together with a common purpose—to serve those who have served us—we create something far greater than any one effort alone. Partnerships amplify our ability to provide access, opportunity, and hope.

This Military Appreciation Month, we are reminded that honoring veterans goes beyond words. It requires action, compassion, and sustained commitment. At Community Hope, we are proud to stand beside Veterans every day—working to ensure that each individual has the opportunity to live with dignity, stability, and the hope they have earned through their service.

Meet the Authors

Peggy Banko, MBA
Chief Development Officer

Jennifer Stivers, MA, LCADC, CCS
Chief Programs Officer

Learn more at
https://www.communityhope-nj.org/

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The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) serves more than 700,000 Veterans and their families, helping them navigate benefits, healthcare, employment, and essential resources. By partnering with Unite Us, GDVS modernized its outreach and care coordination model through predictive analytics, proactive engagement, and a closed-loop referral network. This transformation enables Veterans to receive timely, high-quality support, preventing crises, reducing barriers, restoring trust, and improving whole-person outcomes across the state.

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Montgomery, AL – February 25, 2026 – The Alabama Veterans Resource Center (AVRC) is holding a public Open House tomorrow, February 26, at its new Montgomery location, inviting the community to tour the center, explore partnership opportunities, and learn how to leverage its resources. The AVRC serves as the hub for the new statewide network, powered by Unite Us, the nation’s trusted technology partner for integrating health and community-based care, bringing together organizations spanning workforce development, healthcare, housing, education, benefits navigation, and behavioral health to securely send and receive referrals, track progress from start to finish, and ensure Veterans do not fall through the cracks.

“We are so excited to welcome the community into our space today as we continue building a strong, connected support network across Alabama,” said Alex Karagas, Executive Director of the Alabama Veterans Resource Center. “This Open House is about growing relationships and bringing more organizations into a shared effort to serve those who have served us. Through our partnership with Unite Us, we’re combining strong community relationships with a secure technology infrastructure that helps us coordinate care and track outcomes from start to finish.”

The momentum for this statewide initiative was celebrated last week with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Notable figures from the Alabama State Government were in attendance, including Governor Kay Ivey, Secretary Greg Reed, Commissioner Jeff Newton, Jeff Peoples, representatives from the Alabama State Legislature, and members of the AVRC Board.

Building a Clear Front Door for Alabama’s Veterans and Military Families

The AVRC was created as a public-private partnership to simplify access to services and opportunities for Veterans and Military Families. From employment and education to benefits navigation, health care, housing, and behavioral health support, AVRC serves as a clear front door to resources statewide, giving Veterans and their families a place to meet, ask questions, and connect with available resources in person.

Through its partnership with Unite Us, the AVRC leverages a secure, closed-loop referral platform that enables community organizations to securely send and receive referrals, track outcomes, and prove impact. This technology backbone allows service providers across sectors,  including workforce development, healthcare, housing, education, and community-based organizations, to collaborate more seamlessly and efficiently while maintaining data privacy and security.

“As a Veteran myself, I understand just how important it is to have a clear, streamlined path to access local resources,” said Taylor Justice, CEO and Co-Founder of Unite Us. “We’re honored to partner with the Alabama Veterans Resource Center to build a coordinated care network that connects Veterans and Military Families to the services they need in a way that is efficient, measurable, and centered around them.”

Strengthening a Statewide Network of Support

The coordinated network strengthens AVRC’s ability to measure impact, identify service gaps, and continuously improve how Veterans are supported statewide. By pairing a welcoming in-person center with a secure statewide infrastructure, the AVRC is creating a more efficient and Veteran-centered system of care.

The AVRC and Unite Us encourages community-based organizations, care providers, and any other local partners interested in joining the network to attend the Open House and learn more about how coordinated partnerships can strengthen outcomes for Alabama’s Veteran community.

The resource center is located at 100 Dexter Ave, Montgomery, AL 36104.

• To join the AVRC statewide care network, please email a.karagas@missionforwardal.org 
• To learn more about the Alabama Veterans Resource Center, visit missionforwardal.org 
• To learn more about Unite Us, visit uniteus.com 

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From undiagnosed mental health challenges and unmet social needs to high rates of suicide and PTSD, statistics tell a sobering story about the health and well-being of those who have served our nation. In this webinar, we’ll explore how various demographic factors, health behaviors, and unmet social needs affect the health and well-being of Veterans. We will also discuss how these underlying factors affect the stress and mental health of Veterans. This session will highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the diverse needs of Veterans and outline strategies for policymakers, providers, and community members to improve care for this at-risk group. Don’t miss this chance to engage in a vital conversation about opportunities to improve Veteran health, well-being, and quality of life.

Moderator:

Halima Ahmadi-Montecalvo, PhD, MPH, Vice President of Research and Evaluation, Unite Us

Speakers:

• Marguerite Daus, PHD, RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• Kristen Vescera, PhD, MPH, MA, Worried About a Veteran (WAV) Communications Lead, Army Combat Veteran
• Lori Murphy, MSW, LISW-S, Veterans Health Administration Senior Innovation Fellow

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In 2022, the United States was home to an estimated 16.2 million Veterans, all with different lived experiences during and after service, across branches, and over time. Therefore, it is essential that health concerns among Veterans and active service members are not considered monolithic. As such, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted a whole health approach to care that supports Veterans’ health by empowering and equipping people to take charge of their health and well-being and to live their lives to the fullest. 

When addressing Veterans’ health-related needs, it’s crucial to recognize that health outcomes are influenced by more than just healthcare access. Veterans frequently encounter obstacles such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation issues, and limited job opportunities. Addressing these needs will span various organizations, providers, and clinics, leading to an increased likelihood of care fragmentation, which risks information loss, medication issues, and gaps in service. Care coordination can help ensure that Veterans receive timely and high-quality care, avoid unnecessary duplication of services, and improve their overall health outcomes. According to a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans who received care coordination had a lower risk of 30-day ED visits and a higher probability of PCP visits at 13–30 days post-ED visit compared to those who did not receive care coordination.

“Uniting health and human service systems through effective care coordination is the next step in reducing duplicity of efforts, maximizing return on investment for health care dollars for veterans and civilians alike, as well as improving outcomes for those who have served our nation.”  – Megan Andros and Reiley Burris from The Hill

Since its founding in 2013, Unite Us has launched a variety of networks to address the needs of Veterans and military families. As a Veteran-founded organization, Unite Us is uniquely positioned to assess and address social needs while assisting Veterans in gaining access to the services needed to retain health and thrive in their civilian lives. 

Our approach drives the collaboration needed for those serving Veterans and their families to:

• Identify and understand community needs to inform strategy.
• Deliver services by effectively engaging the right populations and collaborating with local partners to connect them to resources.
• Pay organizations for covered services.

Serving Those in North Carolina Who’ve Served

Since 2006, North Carolina—home to the eighth-largest Veteran population in the nation (621,000) and two major military bases: Fort Liberty (Army) and Camp Lejeune (Marine Corps)—has been focused on improving Veteran access to essential, coordinated services: benefits, health and wellness, employment, legal, and financial services. 

Since 2015, Unite Us has aided these efforts by building a statewide consortium of North Carolina-based Veteran service organizations through the NCServes network, now part of the NCCARE360 network which serves all community members. These organizations are vital in ensuring best-in-class service for Veterans and their families. Network partners include Veteran Services of the Carolinas, Veterans Bridge Home, the Governor’s Institute, and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). To date, the network has served over 20,000 Veterans and active service members.

Over the last eight years in North Carolina, we have seen the unemployment rate of Veterans decrease from 3.2% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2022, and the rate of homelessness among Veterans decreased by 22% in the same time. While these yearly trends are reassuring, there is still a way to improve efficiency in care coordination: seasonal trend analysis. By utilizing real-time social care data and visualizing these needs over time, organizations can gain additional, actionable insight into the needs of the individuals they serve and improve outreach efforts.

Leveraging Real-Time Social Care Analytics

Of all North Carolinian active service members or Veterans assisted through the Unite Us Platform since 2018, the top overall needs were housing & shelter (50%), employment (26%), benefit navigation (20%), income support (18%), and food assistance (16%). 

Analyzing the needs of referred Veterans or active service members in the previous five years, we can begin to examine seasonal trends in need for those residing in North Carolina. Of the individuals sampled, the need for housing is persistent throughout the year, while the need for benefit navigation and employment assistance peaks at the start of the year. The need for financial assistance peaks during winter, and food assistance requests peak in summer and fall. (Source: Unite Us Platform data, pulled October 30, 2023)

With the most recent real-time data from 2023, we can observe how this year’s trends compare to the past. Proportionally, more Veterans and active service members require housing & shelter throughout 2023 than in the five years prior.

Using Unite Us, community-based organizations (CBOs) can observe real-time fluctuations in the needs of those they serve, improving planning and driving service allocation and targeted investment. 

Proactively Identifying Social Care Needs

Actively tracking service requests may only capture some of the community’s needs. For instance, due to environmental stressors specific to military personnel, there is an increased risk of substance use disorders (SUD); however, in our sample, this need remains proportionally scarce. To grasp the genuine need, we must consider all aspects of lived conditions and working environments to proactively identify social care needs, recognizing that the key to whole health lies in understanding the broader spectrum of services.

Unite Us Social Connector helps organizations proactively identify social needs in their communities through the Unite Us Social Needs System (SNS)—the industry standard for predicting and measuring individual-level SDoH in populations across the country. It empowers organizations to utilize data to inform care management, community outreach, funding strategies, and intervention design. This solution enables veteran-focused organizations to proactively understand the needs of Veteran households, connect them to needed services, and ensure appropriate programming exists for them throughout the state. 

Takeaways: Strategies for Addressing Veterans’ Health-Related Social Needs

Unite Us is proud to help serve those who have served our country in our nationwide networks. Through our dedicated efforts, we have identified key strategies to keep in mind when addressing the health-related social needs of Veterans: 

• Whole Person Approach: Veterans’ experiences and needs are diverse and unique, requiring a holistic, cross-sector approach beyond healthcare access.
• Importance of Care Coordination: Care coordination is vital to ensure timely and high-quality support, preventing duplication of services, and improving overall health outcomes for Veterans.
• Real-Time Social Care Analytics: Analyzing real-time data helps identify seasonal trends in Veterans’ needs, enabling care organizations to plan and respond effectively.
• Proactive Social Care Needs Identification: Understanding the comprehensive spectrum of Veterans’ needs is vital. Challenges arise in merely observing these needs through screening, emphasizing the importance of proactive identification to ensure a comprehensive approach to Veterans’ well-being.

Better understand the needs of Veterans in your community with Unite Us.

Learn more 

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Our Power in Partnership series highlights our national and regional partners and the work they do to build healthier communities.

Tell us more about your organization.

The Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services (RIVETS) acts as the chief advocate in the State of Rhode Island for Veterans and military families. RIVETS works day in and day out to ensure Veterans are receiving the full measure of all benefits for which they are eligible – benefits that they’ve earned and deserve. We offer programs and services at three key locations: the Veteran Resource Center in Warwick, the Veterans Home in Bristol, and the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter.

What are the greatest needs of the individuals and families you serve?

As with many human service providers, families often come to us during challenging times in their lives. With that said, the greatest demand we see at our Veteran Resource Center is assistance with benefits navigation, followed closely by transportation.

What are the main programs or offerings that your organization provides?

While the Veterans Home and the Cemetery are large operations under our oversight, the Veterans Resource Center and the services we deliver there have really grown over the last few years. We have two VA-accredited Veterans Service Officers on staff providing individual in-person counseling and support to Veterans, active duty, guard, reserve, and military families. Just over the last few years, we saw the number of unique individuals served go from 294 in 2021 to 894 in 2022. From January 1 through September 30, 2023, we’ve assisted 1,593 unique clients.

How has working with Unite Us impacted the work that you do?

The insights the Unite Us system provides, including data tracking and analysis, have allowed us to implement new programs and services that are responsive to the needs of the Veterans and families we serve. The data was telling us that transportation was a huge unmet need. Many injured, ill, and disabled Veterans were identifying access to reliable transportation, including services to get them to and from VA health care appointments, as critical and important to reintegration efforts. In response to this, RIVETS launched our VetPass program to assist eligible Veterans.

“Unite Us has allowed us to serve more and more Veterans and military families due to the power of the network and the data we are able to extract from the system. Data helps to drive our priorities – the services and investments needed to care for Rhode Island’s Veterans and their families. Unite Us is a powerful tool that ensures every Veteran receives the services they’ve earned and deserve.” – Kasim Yarn, Director of Veterans Affairs for the State of Rhode Island

How does collaborating with other community-based organizations play a role in your work?

Our mantra is that we are committed to meeting Veterans and their families where they live, work, learn, age, and play. We continue to expand our network of partners and increase our engagement in the community – we’re at community resource fairs, partnering with the United Way 2-1-1 bus, attending pre-deployment events and transition assistance programs. Collaboration with community-based organizations is essential to our success and the Unite Us Platform has enabled us to do this work much more efficiently and effectively. We could not support our Veterans without the support we receive from our municipal, state, federal and community partners.

What’s next for RIVETS and Unite Us?

We look forward to adding more Veteran-serving organizations to the network and closely partner with Unite Us when onboarding a new organization. We know that speedy, accurate, and secure sharing of information only helps us to get Veterans the assistance they need – and that they deserve for defending our freedoms. We look forward to continued partnership resulting in constantly improving services for our nation’s heroes.

Interested in learning more about how to bring Unite Us to your organization?

Get in Touch

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Veterans Services of the Carolinas (VSC) is one of seven ministries within the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM). ABCCM, a faith-based nonprofit in Asheville, North Carolina, has been addressing poverty, hunger, homelessness, and access to healthcare for the underserved in Buncombe County for over 52 years. VSC currently employs seven major federal and state grants across all 100 counties in North Carolina and maintains four major offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Jacksonville. 

These grants include NCServes, the state’s first service coordination platform for veteran service members and their families—also funded by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. VSC’s mission is to assist our nation’s veterans and their families by identifying their needs and connecting them to community partners across North Carolina with a veteran-centric and whole-person approach to care.

One Client’s Story

A U.S. Navy Veteran fleeing domestic violence with her young children found herself in a community crisis ministry receiving much-needed supplies as she restarted her life. Through a community partner referral, she connected with the NCServes Coordination Center. VSC effectively and promptly utilized braided funding streams to address multiple areas of need using federal and state dollars. This client was enrolled in employment and housing programs that enabled her to continue her education and move into her own home with her children. By leveraging other community providers through the network, the client received support for additional needs, such as food, clothing, child care, and transportation.  

This was not the end of her story: Less than two years after the most life-changing crisis she had ever experienced, this same veteran obtained a job in veterans affairs and purchased her own home! Recently, this veteran recognized that she wanted to give back, and she accepted a position with Veterans Services of the Carolinas.

For this series, we asked Brandon Wilson, Director of Veterans Services of the Carolinas, about our work together and their vision of how cross-sector collaboration creates lasting change for veterans and their families.

As we reflect on a decade bringing sectors together through technology to ensure people’s needs are met, what do you think has changed the most for your organization since the start of our partnership in 2017?

The ability to see the landscape of care at macro levels, local, regional, and nationally. This lens has allowed us to become better leaders in the community and solidified some best practices for us, through us, and with the community at large.

Unite Us has been instrumental in our aptitude as a community-based organization to scale programs, build organizational capacity, and improve the overall efficiency and efficacy in which services are delivered to our military connected communities. I would describe our partnership as more like a family. Over the last seven years, Unite Us has not only offered state-of-the-art technology that has transformed the landscape of social services delivery, they have provided invaluable coaching, mentorship, and—at times—strategic direction. This type of partnership has afforded our team the ability to stretch at the individual, team, and community levels. At a macro level and in combination with these attributes, we have grown from a $750k-a-year organization to over a $9M-a-year portfolio of direct service programs that continues to grow and is working to bring other servant leaders together to improve the overall health of all North Carolinians.

How does VSC think about or approach collaboration with other sectors? What are the benefits to the veterans and families you serve and to your mission?

Veterans Services of the Carolinas uses deliberate strategies for community engagement through data-informed processes. VSC views data trends over time to determine not only the communities on which we focus engagement efforts, but particular service types as well. The data-reporting capabilities of Unite Us enable our organization to focus our outreach and community-building efforts on areas and services most needed while also being a good steward of our state and federal dollars. Being able to stretch and allocate resources based on real-time information has been key to our organizational growth. Integrating the Unite Us Platform with all of our direct service programs has assisted in procuring additional funding streams and opportunities for growth. With the approvals from U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, this integration has now become a regular, standard operating procedure for all of our programs.

Are there any upcoming programs or initiatives related to drivers of health and community health at VSC that you are excited about?

With the launch of the joint analytics project, we are excited to explore innovative approaches to proactive outreach using Unite Us’ Social Connector. VSC is working diligently to change the entry point for individuals in need into health and human services systems. We are already seeing an overall cost reduction as we are able to address future hardships today; this methodology is proving to put less strain on case managers and grant programs alike. Through this project, we are building stronger assumption models and generating enhanced upstream strategies that are preventing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health challenges across the delta of care.

Looking another 10 years into the future, what is your biggest hope for cross-sector collaboration to improve community health?

The biggest hope is that our communities can work to cross-pollinate all services and resources through the Unite Us Platform. This hope will improve the overall health and care of our communities through improved access at both the individual and provider levels, a widened sense of transparency, and enhanced way of targeting the best first use of local resources.

What thoughts would you share with Unite Us leadership as they look out on the next 10 years?

The partnerships that Unite Us fosters and forms with its community stakeholders are imperative to community growth. Unite Us’ strategy of growing communities from within should continue to be a point of focus to ensure their teams are embedded in the communities they support. Unite Us should continue to keep in mind that each local community is different on many levels across the drivers-of-health spectrum and that the model and technology is just a tool. Real impact and change happen at the individual level. We believe that Unite Us’ incentivizing community partners and positive recognition of their adoption, resilience, and work can accelerate ambassadors for change. Another strategy is the integration of other data systems at a macro level, such as the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), state data systems, and Veterans Affairs.

For more information about Veterans Services of the Carolinas, visit https://www.abccm-vsc.org/. 

Interested in learning more about how to bring Unite Us to your organization?

Get in Touch

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Our Power in Partnership series highlights our national and regional partners and the work they do to build healthier communities.

Tell us about your organization and mission.

United Through Reading connects military and Veteran families through the power of shared storytime, even when they can’t be together in person. Founded in 1989, our free program allows the service member, regardless of military status, and Veterans, to record a story for a child in their life to watch and read together when they are apart. We have helped more than 2.7 million military mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and children sustain bonds and foster literacy by sharing stories across even the greatest distances.

What are the greatest needs of the individuals and families you serve?

On any given day thousands of military Service Members and Veterans are away from home – that’s millions of stories missed each year by military children. When military families use United Through Reading, they feel less anxious and stressed, making it easier for the entire family while their service member is away. Military families that read together daily with United Through Reading storytime videos stay connected and build stronger bonds, no matter the distance. Reading aloud regularly with military children through United Through Reading storytime videos encourages early literacy and language skills, builds vocabulary development and growth, and fosters a love of reading that creates lifelong readers.

Where can families find United Through Reading?

United Through Reading has over 200 Story Stations around the world. They are found within military units, community centers, libraries, and at community events, but the easiest way to use United Through Reading is to download our free Mobile App. Our App is available 24/7 wherever our families may find themselves in the world. The service member records themselves reading a book, including one of our ebooks on the App, and the recording and book are sent to the child to read along on demand. The App is available on iOS, Android, and Amazon.

How does collaborating with community-based organizations play a role in your work?

United Through Reading works with community-based organizations every day. These organizations are vital partners for us to reach every single military and Veteran family to share our love of reading together every day. Some of the ways that we collaborate include, attending events at the organization’s location, participating in meetings, partnering together to provide books to their families, and amplifying each other’s messages on social media. 

What are you most hopeful for by being a part of the Unite Us network? What would you tell another organization considering joining?

United Through Reading is excited to be part of the Unite Us platform because it allows us to expand our reach to new communities across the country. The more people that we can reach, the better. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to meet and work with new community organizations that we may have never met before. Our program is possible because of our partnerships and volunteers across the country and Unite Us helps us expand those relationships to ensure that storytime happens, no matter the distance. 

Are there any unique events your organization is participating in to honor Veterans Day this year?

This year for Veterans Day, United Through Reading has extended an invitation for any educator to host their own version of our popular Story Time with a Service Member program. We will send a video recording of a Service Member reading an age appropriate story to classrooms. It is our hope that this program will provide a fun, entertaining, and educational way for students to gain a connection to the men and women serving in the military this Veterans Day.

If you’re a Veteran interested in being part of our Story Bank, please email military@utr.org.

Staying Connected with United Through Reading

Jaquetta Gooden, a Unite Us employee and Veteran, reflects on her experience with United Through Reading while she was serving in Iraq.

While stationed at Fort Hood in 2006, my unit deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq. I didn’t deploy with the unit immediately because I was pregnant with my first child, Leilani. I had Leilani a few months after they deployed, and a month after I gave birth to my daughter, my unit requested me to go forward to finish out the last six months of the deployment. To fulfill this request, I had to waive my postpartum leave, which I did. My mother flew from California to Texas to pick up her granddaughter and took care of her while I was deployed to Iraq. Like any mother, I was devastated to leave my only child a month after giving birth to her. However, while deployed, I was introduced to a program called United Through Reading! I was given the opportunity to record myself on video reading Leilani a book and share a personalized message with her as well. The video was then mailed to my mother who would play the video for Leilani every day until I returned so she would be familiar with my face and voice. In 2006 technology was not advanced as it is today and United Through Reading helped keep me and my daughter connected even though we were worlds apart. Leilani turns 16 in November, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

For more information about United Through Reading, follow @unitedthroughreading on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; or visit unitedthroughreading.org.

Interested in learning more about how to bring Unite Us to your community?

Get in Touch

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I was 19 years old when I deployed to Afghanistan for my first combat tour. It was unlike anything I ever experienced—from going on convoy missions to being mortared on our fobs. Experiencing war up close and personal takes a toll on your mental health. In the early 2000s, mental health wasn’t widely discussed like it is today. In the Army, we had mandatory training on suicide prevention and behavioral health facilities, but there was an unspoken rule that, as a leader, seeking these resources could have a negative impact on your career. So, like many of my battle buddies back then, I sucked it up and drove on. As the military culture started to shift and more leaders spoke out about addressing mental health, it gave me the courage I needed to address my own anxiety and seek professional help, which helped me become more effective at my job and as a leader. 

Like many veterans, as my time ended with the Army, I started to think about life after the military. Where would I go? What would I do? How would my skill set translate to the corporate or private sector? What company could understand my military background and experience?

Then I came across Unite Us, a technology company that connected health and social care. After reading more about the company, I learned that the founders were also veterans. Was this destiny? A company whose values aligned with mine, who understood my skill set, and understood my background from the past 20 years of Army experience. I applied, and after a thorough interview process, I was offered the position of Communications Manager. I couldn’t have selected a better organization to join in my next chapter. Unite Us’ mission to advance health equity gave me purpose once again.

During my time here, I have seen Unite Us’ commitment to connecting veterans to health and social care firsthand, especially behavioral health services. In September 2022, Unite Us was selected among the top 30 finalists in Mission Daybreak, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grand challenge and call on innovators to develop suicide prevention solutions that meet the diverse needs of veterans. We are honored to join the innovation efforts to reduce barriers for veterans to access care.

How SDoH Tech Supports Veterans Through Whole-Person Care

Unite Us’ technology makes it easier for veterans to receive support before a mental health crisis occurs. Our solution, Saving Veteran Lives Through Empowered Community Networks, is designed to reduce veteran suicides by identifying the social care needs of veterans who present risk factors for suicide, enrolling those veterans in services, and ensuring those veterans receive services that meet their social care needs.

A holistic approach to mental health requires the ability to address both medical and social needs, and to integrate services that address a range of co-occurring needs. Data from our networks shows that the top three co-occurring needs for military members and veterans seeking mental and behavioral health services between 2017 and 2022 were 1) Housing; 2) Benefits Navigation; and 3) Employment. 

Addressing these needs takes an integrated, well-resourced team of collaborators. One of our partners, Cristina Garcia, Director of VPAN Los Angeles at Southern California Grantmakers, shared, “Unite Us has helped connect a disconnected society. Almost 60 veteran organization partners in LA County means that together we are accomplishing more, decreasing veteran issues that were once difficult to overcome. Unite Us is helping VPAN achieve our mission by bringing a coordinated network that provides us not only a platform but a new method of access to care for our veterans and families in LA County.”

Because network partners on the Unite Us Platform can securely screen for and easily coordinate care for additional and recurring services, the client never has to tell their story more than once. This results in significant efficiency improvements. In Georgia, Unite Us’ partnership with the Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) helped drive a 300-percent reduction in the time it takes receiving organizations to close the case. We observe consistent results in serving our veteran population across the nation, with time to case closure more than halved on average from 2020 to 2022 in our networks.

Supporting Veterans on the Path to Self-Sufficiency

As someone who recently transitioned from the military, the information the Army provides you on your way out can be overwhelming. This can be difficult, and some veterans experience challenges reintegrating into civilian life—including employment, homelessness, and mental health-related needs. There are networks of resources available, like the ones Unite Us supports, to help veterans reintegrate and get on the path to self-sufficiency. 

I believe veterans and servicemembers are the backbone of our country. Celebrating their lives and sacrifices is an honor, and advocating for them is a privilege. Today, we commemorate the sacrifices of those who continue to carry the wounds, both mentally and physically, from their fight for the cause of freedom, liberty, and justice. I’m always aware of how fortunate I was to make it back home. Serving alongside some of the most heroic soldiers our country has ever seen, I am honored to be amongst the one percent that raised their hand to protect our nation’s freedoms. 

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