Executive Summary

This action plan reimagines veteran support as a bold, efficient strategy to end homelessness for 32,882 veterans (per HUD’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count), treat PTSD, secure jobs, and build community ties. We accelerate delivery from 10 years to just 6, aiming for full resolution by 2031. Starting with 9 centers in Phase 1, we’ll expand to 50 nationwide, featuring therapies like model train railroading, wellness programs, job training, and family support. Innovations include AI tools, light-based brain therapy, and animal-assisted healing.

We partner with the VA, veteran-owned builders, and leaders like Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump, and Doug Collins. Key constructors—Veterans Development Corporation, The Valiant Group, Veterans Construction & Restoration, Tactical Construction, and Delmarva Veteran Builders—deliver fast, affordable builds under the VA’s priority program, creating 10,000 housing units with veteran expertise.

To speed up launches, we’ll reuse sites like VA campuses or old bases, cutting time by 3–6 months and costs by 10–15%. A fresh focus targets transitioning veterans with outreach, preventive visits, and volunteer roles—veterans volunteer 95 hours yearly on average, far more than civilians.

Despite 50 years of billions spent (rising from $376 million in 2009 to $3.2 billion in FY2025), progress lags—homelessness down only 55.6% since 2010. This plan changes that with targeted innovations. We’re set to sprint from day one: outreach, assessments, and activations ready upon approval.

Extending to first responders (PTSD at 17–24%, high suicides like 143 in 2024), we’ll co-locate services, engaging DOJ via mental health collaborations and HHS through addiction recovery and disaster health programs. Budget: $1 billion annually, serving 100,000 by 2031 with 100% success metrics.

Leadership: We extend an invitation to Dr. Robert Borgesi, DMD, a committed VA dentist at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Bay Pines, FL), to assume the role of CEO. Drawing on his deep background in veteran healthcare and dedication to holistic care, Dr. Borgesi offers invaluable clinical insight, familiarity with VA operations, and enthusiasm for incorporating overlooked areas such as dental health into broader wellness initiatives. His guidance would facilitate smooth collaboration with the VA and emphasize complete veteran support.

Section 1: Strategic Framework

Naming and Thematic Structure

Retain the nine core names for branding consistency:

• Wellness: Serenity Stronghold, Vitality Vault, Resilience Refuge (focus: mental/physical healing, PTSD therapy).
• Job Training: Forge Forward, Vets’ Vocation Hub, Pathfinder Place (focus: skills development, employment placement).
• Family Support: Kinship Keep, Legacy Link, Hearthstone Haven (focus: counseling, childcare, community building).

Hybrid centers in expansions will combine themes as needed. Branding: Pair with taglines (e.g., “Serenity Stronghold: Find Peace, Rebuild Strength”).

Core Interventions

The core interventions form the backbone of the centers’ services, drawing on evidence-based and innovative approaches to address homelessness, PTSD, unemployment, and family challenges. These are designed to be scalable, low-cost where possible, and integrated with existing VA and nonprofit resources for feasibility. Interventions prioritize trauma-informed care, peer involvement, and measurable outcomes, building on successful models like HUD-VASH for housing and Warrior Care Network for mental health. All programs will be personalized via initial assessments, with data tracking to refine effectiveness (e.g., 80% participant satisfaction target). A key focus is on preventive and supportive interventions for transitioning veterans, recognizing that not all experience PTSD—many are resilient and eager to volunteer (veterans are 11% more likely to volunteer, serving 169 hours/year vs. 126 for non-veterans, strengthening communities through service).

• Model Train Railroading: $200/kit; 50–80% PTSD reduction; scale to 50,000 veterans/year by 2029. This hands-on therapy promotes mindfulness, control, and camaraderie in wellness centers, with group sessions led by trained peers. Feasibility: Low-cost kits donated via partnerships (e.g., NMRA); integrated as a VA-reimbursable option for easy scaling. For transitioning veterans, introduce as a low-pressure entry point during initial visits to build routines and prevent isolation.
• Additional Therapies:
  • Transcranial photobiomodulation (light therapy) to enhance brain metabolism and reduce TBI/PTSD symptoms, offered in 25 centers by 2028 via portable devices ($1M/center setup).
  • Animal-assisted therapy with 5,000 trained strays as emotional support animals, partnering with shelters for low-cost sourcing and veteran-led training programs to build skills while providing companionship.
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as core evidence-based PTSD treatments, delivered by licensed therapists with telehealth options for accessibility.
  • Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET), using systems like BraveMind, to safely confront trauma triggers in a controlled environment; feasible through VA Immersive pilots and low-cost VR headsets ($300/unit), scaling to all wellness centers by 2029.
  • Creative Arts Therapies (art, music, equine), inspired by Creative Forces and equine programs; group sessions ($50–100/session) foster expression and emotional regulation, with volunteer artists and local stables for cost control.
  • Neurofeedback training to retrain brain patterns for PTSD/anxiety, using affordable EEG devices ($500/unit) in partnership with Sheba Medical Center models; feasible for group settings with VA training certification.
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression/PTSD, outsourced to local clinics or mobile units to keep costs at $2,000–3,000/course, integrated via Compassion Behavioral Health protocols.
• Housing: Housing First model; 10,000 units via SDVOSBs, prioritizing reuse of existing structures. Incorporate supportive services like rent subsidies (short- and long-term via HUD-VASH expansion) and transitional housing with intensive psychosocial support to ensure stability. Feasibility: Coordinate with SSVF for rapid exits from homelessness, targeting justice-involved veterans via VJO programs.
• Tech Integration: AI tools (xAI) for therapy designs (e.g., personalized railroading layouts) and predictive analytics for relapse prevention; telehealth for rural access, expanding to include AI-driven chatbots for 24/7 crisis support. Feasibility: Leverage existing VA apps like PTSD Coach, with low-cost integration ($10M total for development).
• Employment and Vocational Support: On-site job fairs, apprenticeships with corporations (e.g., Amazon hiring commitments), and entrepreneurship incubators for veteran startups (microloans via SBA partnerships). Include financial literacy workshops for budgeting/debt management to prevent homelessness recurrence. Feasibility: Tie to HVRP best practices for meaningful employment reintegration, with peer mentors facilitating networking.
• Family and Community Reintegration: Family counseling and reintegration programs for spouses/children, including parenting workshops and support groups to address secondary trauma. Peer-led recovery models like Veteran X/Hope for goal-setting and community building. Feasibility: Voluntary, low-cost sessions via trained peers; integrate with SSVF for family-inclusive homelessness prevention.
• Holistic and Preventive Services: Nutrition counseling and fitness programs to manage chronic conditions; legal aid for benefits claims and expungement to remove employment barriers; substance use disorder (SUD) interventions via crisis/peer-support models. Feasibility: Partner with local nonprofits for on-site clinics ($500/veteran annually), ensuring wraparound care to sustain long-term stability.
• Transition Support for Exiting Veterans: Targeted outreach for post-service veterans during their first year of transition, partnering with VA’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to include center information in mandatory pre-separation briefings (e.g., via modules on VA benefits and community resources). Awareness campaigns via DoD emails, VA apps (e.g., VA.gov alerts), and X/social media targeted ads to encourage visits to the nearest center for a “welcome home” orientation (free, no-obligation session covering resources, even for those without PTSD). Emphasize preventive wellness to build resilience early. For veterans without PTSD (many of whom show high volunteering interest—e.g., 70% of longer-transitioned vets volunteer vs. recent ones), create a “Veteran Ambassador Program” where they can volunteer as peer mentors, event facilitators, or therapy assistants (e.g., guiding railroading sessions), fostering purpose and reducing isolation. Feasibility: Integrate with WARTAC for skill-building volunteering; track via VA EHR for 80% retention in volunteer roles, leveraging stats that veterans volunteer more (11% higher likelihood) to build a self-sustaining support network.
• VA Staff Volunteer Initiative: To amplify the centers’ impact through collective action, launch a dedicated campaign encouraging current VA employees, doctors, nurses, therapists, administrative staff, and other personnel to volunteer at local centers. We are all in this together for the sake of the suffering veterans—by uniting our efforts, we can solve this crisis and provide comprehensive, compassionate care. Volunteers can contribute expertise in areas like medical check-ins, therapy facilitation, administrative support, or peer counseling during off-hours, with flexible commitments (e.g., 4–8 hours/month). Feasibility: Partner with VA’s Voluntary Service (VAVS) program for streamlined onboarding, offering continuing education credits and recognition (e.g., “VA Heroes for Veterans” badges); promote via internal VA newsletters, emails, and X campaigns targeting VA staff (leveraging the 400,000+ VA employees for broad reach). Track participation aiming for 10–15% VA staff involvement by 2028, fostering a unified ecosystem where VA professionals extend their impact beyond daily roles to directly aid transitioning and at-risk veterans.
• Support for Families of Veterans: Recognizing that families are an integral part of the recovery process and cannot be left out—spouses, children, and caregivers often experience secondary trauma, financial strain, and emotional burnout—we dedicate comprehensive programs to support them directly. These include caregiver respite services (short-term relief care for veterans to give families breaks), family therapy sessions addressing vicarious trauma and relational dynamics, educational workshops on PTSD management and self-care strategies, and peer support groups for sharing experiences. Feasibility: Build on VA’s existing Caregiver Support Program (CSP), offering stipends ($2,500–3,000/year for eligible caregivers) and training certifications; integrate low-cost virtual sessions via telehealth to reach remote families; partner with nonprofits like Blue Star Families for community events. Track outcomes aiming for 75% family satisfaction and reduced caregiver burnout (affecting ~40% of veteran families), ensuring holistic healing where families actively participate in veteran recovery, strengthening overall resilience.
• First Responder Support: To extend the plan’s reach to our first responder brothers and sisters—police, firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers—who endure PTSD rates of 17–24% and suicide risks 1.39 times higher than the general population (e.g., 1,405 suicides since 2018, with over 80% experiencing trauma and 25% of firefighters considering suicide)—we integrate dedicated services co-located at centers. Adapted interventions include trauma-specific therapies (e.g., railroading for shift workers, VRET for high-stress simulations), peer support networks blending veterans and first responders, and suicide prevention hotlines aligned with proposed First Responder Wellness Act. Feasibility: Shared facilities reduce costs; pilot co-responder models with local agencies for joint training ($5M allocation from expanded budget); track outcomes aiming for 70% PTSD reduction and 50% suicide risk decrease, fostering cross-community solidarity. This inclusion honors shared sacrifices and addresses parallel crises through unified care.
• Partnerships: VA (HUD-VASH expansion to 132,000 vouchers), nonprofits (Tunnel to Towers for housing, Wounded Warrior Project for mental wellness), corporations (Amazon for job training). Expand to include community coalitions for localized support, ensuring interventions like peer outreach for justice-involved veterans; add Department of Justice (DOJ) via Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) for co-responder training and behavioral health alternatives; Health and Human Services (HHS) through SAMHSA’s First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and ASPR’s disaster behavioral health for substance use and crisis response integration.

Potential Construction Partners and Their Role

The following veteran-owned (SDVOSB) construction firms have been identified as key partners, contacted via tailored letters dated September 08, 2025. As Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, they qualify for priority under the VA’s Veterans First Contracting Program, ensuring efficient, cost-effective builds while aligning with the plan’s veteran-centric mission. Their involvement accelerates implementation by providing specialized expertise in VA-compliant projects, modular construction for speed, adaptive reuse for existing facilities, and in-kind donations (totaling $17M in materials), reducing costs by 20% through value engineering and BIM (Building Information Modeling). This veteran-led approach fosters trust, quality, and community buy-in, instrumental to the plan’s success in delivering accessible, durable facilities on an accelerated timeline.

These partners will be engaged immediately upon funding approval, with contracts prioritizing modular, accessible designs (e.g., for disabilities affecting 30% of veterans) and facility reuse assessments. Their collective $83M in services/donations directly contributes to building 10,000 units, making them indispensable for on-time, under-budget delivery and long-term success through veteran empowerment.

Section 4: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Risks

Metrics Tracking: Use VA EHR/HUD HMIS; quarterly X reports; target 80% satisfaction by 2028. Evaluation: Annual audits; adjust via feedback (e.g., enhance female/minority programs). Risks and Mitigations:

• Funding Delays: Accelerate via emergency VA allocations; contingency crowdfunding.
• Construction Bottlenecks: Modular builds/reuse; parallel SDVOSB contracts.
• Adoption Barriers: Outreach via peer mentors; telehealth for access.
• Scalability: Front-load training; leverage AI for efficiency.