Soldiers who are discharged from active duty trade a one-of-a-kind existence to re-enter civilian life. The deeply satisfying sense of mission and camaraderie soldiers enjoy rarely exists out of uniform, leaving some warriors struggling to adjust. Those men and women burdened with PTSD or other battle wounds very often end up alone on the streets. Veterans Community Project in Kansas City, Missouri was founded by veterans to support to fellow soldiers who have fallen through the cracks.
“A lot of my (military) brothers and sisters would have done whatever it took to save our lives,” says Brandonn Mixon, chief project manager for VCP-Kansas City. He is one of four co-founders frustrated by the lack of U.S. government services for members of the military. “They would have taken a bullet for us, given us blood…why is it a lot of these guys are literally on the streets battling with war in their head? We’re just leaving these guys hanging.”
VCP is unique in that offers support services to any veteran, even if they were dishonorably discharged, regardless of length of service and even provides housing to families of veterans. The program work is done with the utmost respect for anyone who took the oath of military service. “It my turn to have their backs,” says Mixon. “We’re out there on the streets literally pulling them out of trenches.”
The tiny homes on the VCP property were specifically-designed with doors and windows placed to make soldiers with PTSD, who need to ‘clear the house’ to feel comfortable and safe. There’s also on-site addiction treatment, job assistance and mental health counseling to restore the sense of mission and purpose to men and women struggling with life after the military.
Veterans Community Project is privately-funded but hundreds of city governments from around the country have noted their ongoing success and called to discuss duplicating their methods of veteran housing and rehabilitation.
