U.S.VETS

As a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) partner and grant recipient, U.S.VETS serves post-9/11 veterans in need through critical care in therapeutic communities and specialized programs. A recent 2024 WWP Community Partner Convening brought together U.S.VETS President and Chief Operating Officer Darryl Vincent, a Marine veteran, with more than 80 leaders of service providing organizations from across the nation to discuss strategies for continued outreach and success under the theme, “empowering veterans for a lifetime.” In partnership, U.S.VETS served 1,993 post-9/11 veterans since last October, including 399 women veterans in tailored programs, providing therapeutic communities with outreach, mental health counseling, employment guidance, life-skill classes, peer mentoring, and community support activities. #furthertogether #servingthosewhoserved #honorusvets

Today U.S.VETS pays tribute to every veteran who served our nation on 9/11 and over the 23 years since. We are honored to recognize your courage, bravery and sacrifice, and proud to work across the U.S. providing individualized support, from housing and career services to mental health counseling, therapeutic communities, and more. #servingthosewhoserved #honorusvets #neverforget911

U.S.VETS Chief Executive Officer Steve Peck, a Marine veteran who served in Vietnam, will receive the Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Award at U.S.VETS’ SALUTE Gala Nov. 7. The award, named for U.S.VETS’ visionary founder and Peck’s friend and mentor, honors Peck’s legacy serving those who served. Peck, who will retire at the end of 2024 after more than 28 years at U.S.VETS including 14 at the helm, was recruited to U.S.VETS in 1996. Since he was named CEO in 2010, Peck has overseen strategic growth of the nation’s largest service provider dedicated to preventing and ending veteran homelessness. Today, U.S.VETS serves more than 12,000 veterans every year with access to housing, mental health treatment, employment, food security and other supportive services. #servingthosewhoserved #honorusvets #publicservice #leadership

The memories are fresh for Chris Hamilton, recalling the fall night last year when he took a couple of handfuls of prescription pills. At 64, the Army veteran uses a wheelchair due to amputation surgeries following complications from diabetes, procedures on his heart, and years of unhealthy living and heavy drinking. He was homeless with only his chair and a few belongings, dazed from the medication he swallowed when his phone rang. “I was sitting on the street just wanting to die and it was 2 o’clock in the morning, and out of nowhere my youngest boy in Utah called me and he said, ‘Dad, are you ok?’ And he said, ‘I just got a funny feeling and I wanted to know you’re ok.’ I said, ‘Let me call you right back.’ I made myself throw up all my pills, and then I called him and I told him, ‘Ya, I’m OK.’” An encounter with a clerk he knew at a nearby gas station helped him connect with VA services, and then a referral to U.S.VETS - Las Vegas. There, he worked with a case manager to secure emergency housing and enrolled in the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. He meets with a psychologist, case manager and specialist to focus on his goals, and joins therapeutic nature explorations on accessible trails. “There’s some really wonderful people that work at U.S.VETS. They’ve really done so much for me and I so appreciate it,” Hamilton says. “I still struggle with the PTSD, depression and anxiety, but they helped me through it. They’ve gone above and beyond.” #suicidepreventionmonth #SSGFoxGrant #servingthosewhoserved #honorusvets U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs California Department of Veterans Affairs American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

U.S. VETS CEO and Marine veteran Steve Peck will retire at the end of 2024 after nearly three decades with the organization, including 14 years at the helm of the largest nonprofit service provider dedicated to preventing and ending veteran homelessness.   On Peck’s watch, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. fell from 74,087 to 35,574 between 2010 and 2023. This year in LA County, veteran homelessness declined 23 percent, according to the LA Homeless Services Authority. “It’s been my distinct honor to serve my fellow veterans” Peck says. “I’m deeply proud of what we’ve collectively accomplished at U.S.VETS, helping tens of thousands of homeless veterans have a place to call home and reclaim their self-worth and dignity.”    Peck served in Vietnam after graduating college, his path shaped by experiences in the 1st Marine Division outside Danang, Vietnam. Later, while pursuing a master’s in social work, he served as an outreach worker at the West LA Veterans Affairs Medical Center, connecting unhoused veterans to care.   In 1996, U.S.VETS recruited Peck to be director of community development; in 2010 he was named CEO. After retirement, he’ll continue his steadfast advocacy for veterans nationwide and advise on housing developments at the West LA VA campus. #servingthosewhoserved #alwaysfaithful

U.S.VETS’ national human resources team came together for an annual conference and service day, partnering with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, one of just four Historically Black Medical Colleges and a Historically Black Graduate Institution, and American Red Cross. A blood drive highlighted the day of service at U.S.VETS Long Beach, along with free health assessments and prevention education, including blood pressure screenings, opioid and fentanyl resources, CPR training, COVID test kits, face masks, condoms, community resource guides, and more. #dayofservice #servingthosewhoserved #HRteam #PreventativeCare

"They served our country honorably," says U.S.VETS' Pedro Jauregui, national director of outreach. "We want to make sure we take the time out to show that respect to them." It's a fitting call to empower veterans in partnership with A Community of Friends (ACOF) at the soon-to-open Ventura Springs community for veterans and their families experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing stable housing. As co-developer and service provider, we're helping veterans in need access support in a therapeutic community. #servingthosewhoserved #honorusvets Ventura County Star City of Ventura

Women veterans are the fastest growing group among veteran populations, yet their specific needs are often overlooked. Proud to see our leaders like Rocio Palmero bringing awareness to our programs that give these women the resources and the community to ease their transition. #ServingThoseWhoServed U.S.VETS Patriotic Hall

U.S.VETS Ventura is hiring now & has the following opportunities available: Case Manager II Case Manager III Veteran Support Coordinator Please apply online: Job Opportunities (paycomonline.net) We look forward to receiving your application and discussing how these amazing opportunities align with your career goals! Equal Opportunity Employer

One year after the #mauifires, Army veteran Eric Ryan reflects on what he has gained and not what was lost. Ryan was homeless and living out of his car when disaster struck in August 2023. But he rose out of the ashes, thanks to help from U.S.VETS that led to a new apartment. 📽: Fairai Richmond