Veterans Bridge Home, based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a committed advocate for service members, veterans, and their families, and they strive to create stronger communities within the veteran community. The organization focuses on providing tailored support services, fostering community integration, and building cross-sector partnerships to ensure that every veteran is supported, connected, and respected and that veterans are treated as an integral member of the community.  

The CCME Foundation provided a $50,000 grant to help build a veteran-connected community in the Columbia and greater Midlands region in South Carolina by creating a more cohesive community through a Collective Impact Model. The Model will leverage the strengths of Veterans Bridge Home with the capabilities of local nonprofits, the SC Department of Veteran Affairs Veteran Coalition, the Palmetto Pathfinder Network, and the Veteran Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense community apparatus. 

The Veterans Bridge Home initiative seeks to unify 100 of the approximately 233 military and veteran-serving organizations in the Midlands’ 12-county region in South Carolina – which includes 263,000 veterans – served by the Columbia VA Healthcare Center. Veteran coalitions determined that there is not enough alignment in the region to address the myriad and unique issues facing veterans and that a local network was needed to do this. By employing a local leader to coordinate, organize, and lead the effort, Veterans Bridge Home will best be able to implement its proven, evidence-based Collective Impact Model within the context of a Public Health framework within the region to serve veterans. As a Collective Impact organization, Veterans Bridge Home works by, with, and through the community, coordinating efforts and ensuring veterans families have access to the best programs and services to address their specific needs. The organization has led and established this type of alliance in Charlotte, the Triad, The Triangle, and the Sandhills of North Carolina already, and was tasked by SCDVA Secretary McCaffrey to lead this effort in the Midlands.    

Alvin King, Founder of Range Fore Hope Foundation and Steven Diaz of Hidden Wounds are working to align and integrate this initiative on the ground within the region on behalf of Veterans Bridge Home. With support from the University of South Carolina and state military community leaders such as Charlie Hall of the Upstate Warrior Solution and Haley Uthlaut, previously of In Gear Career, and now Co-President of the Strong Gray Line and serving with the Mission 85 project for Veterans Bridge Home, the kick start to this important partner-building and veteran service-aligning program is on solid footing to make an impact on veterans and their families in South Carolina.    

Learn more about the work of Veterans Bridge Home.