LANSING, Mich. (WLKI)- A Michigan nonprofit has received a $750,000 federal grant to expand statewide outreach intended to connect veterans with support before they experience a mental health or personal crisis.
VETLIFE received the maximum award available to a new grantee through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.
The organization said the funding will support an upstream approach to suicide prevention, focused on identifying and reaching veterans before personal, financial, medical or social challenges become emergencies.
The grant will allow VETLIFE to expand its outreach across Michigan, with an emphasis on rural veterans, Native American veterans, veterans who are not using VA health care and those facing financial, social or economic instability.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 61 percent of veterans who died by suicide in 2023 were not receiving Veterans Health Administration care during the year of their death.
VETLIFE said that statistic highlights the importance of reaching veterans who may be disconnected from VA care, benefits or more traditional support systems.
Rather than relying on veterans to locate and navigate assistance on their own, the organization plans to connect with them through places and networks they already use. Those efforts may include community events, veteran organizations, local partners, peer connections, digital outreach and VETLIFE's existing technology and programs.
Once a veteran is identified, VETLIFE said it can help connect them with VA health care and benefits, financial assistance, housing and employment services, mental health resources and other community support.
Joshua Parish, VETLIFE's co-founder and chief executive officer, said the goal is to offer help earlier, before a crisis develops.
"We cannot build a suicide prevention strategy that depends entirely on a Veteran raising their hand and asking for help," Parish said. "We want to understand what happened six months before that moment -- and whether there was an opportunity to change the trajectory."
Veterans experiencing a crisis, or anyone concerned about a veteran, can contact the Veterans Crisis Line 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in VA health care or receiving VA benefits to use the service.
According to VETLIFE, the new federal funding is intended to make it easier for veterans across Michigan to access support before challenges become more severe.