Gov. Evers, Dva Announce Nine Organizations to Receive Veteran Mental Health Community-based Organization Grants

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), today announced nine nonprofit organizations are receiving funding through the Veteran Mental Health Community-Based Organization Grant program. The grants will support nonprofit efforts to promote positive mental health through activities, programs, and services that enhance the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of Wisconsin veterans, including providing case management, peer support, equine and outdoor therapies, and more.

“Our veterans are willing to give their lives to protect us and the values we hold dear. So, we have a responsibility as a state—and as a nation—to ensure that when our service members return to civilian life, they have the physical, mental, emotional, and social support they need to succeed and thrive. That’s the promise we make to them when they sign up to serve, and that’s a promise we ought to work damn hard to keep,” said Gov. Evers. “An important part of supporting our veterans is making sure they can be their best and healthiest selves and know that they are not alone if they are struggling—help and hope are always available. Whether it’s providing peer support, nature-based therapies, equine-assisted services, or resources to help cope with post-traumatic stress, these organizations are helping our veterans lead healthy and full lives. I’m proud that we’re able to support them and their great work through these grants.”

The Veteran Mental Health Community-Based Organization Grants are part of Gov. Evers’ $10 million investment in veteran services, which was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and based on recommendations released by the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity. In 2022, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #157, creating the Commission to develop new, innovative initiatives to support the more than 300,000 veterans who live in Wisconsin. The services funded by Gov. Evers’ $10 million investment included investments to support veterans’ mental health initiatives, a new rental assistance program for homeless veterans, and additional resources for DVA’s Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program (VORP), veteran services offices, and more.

In his 2025-27 Executive Budget, Gov. Evers proposed $5 million to create a permanent stream of funding to support continued investments in veteran mental health initiatives like this program for organizations providing community-based and emergency crisis mental health services, but unfortunately, the state’s Republican-controlled budget committee voted to remove these funds from the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget.

“Wisconsin has a proud tradition of giving back to veterans and, thanks to Gov. Evers, we are building on that tradition with these grants for Veterans Mental Health,” said DVA Secretary James Bond. “We are very lucky to have partners across the state joining us in the mission to serve veterans. With this funding, veterans may find new ways to heal and connect with others.”

The nine grant recipients and their planned projects, totaling nearly $428,000, are:

• $50,000 for Access Ability Wisconsin to increase access for disabled veterans receiving the services of Access Ability Wisconsin through the purchase of an all-terrain wheelchair and the expansion of programming in rural counties;
• $34,800 for the Mark Divine Courage Foundation to provide group sessions, biometric tracking, and individualized coaching for veterans seeking mental health resources and support with post-traumatic stress;
• $50,000 for Great Lakes Dryhootch to support the “Battlepeer” app developed by the organization, which includes identifying and training additional peer support specialists as the organization develops stronger connections between veterans in need of services, peer support specialists providing support, and the technologies enabling the improvements;
• $100,000 for Indianhead Community Action Agency to support the organization’s holistic approach to supporting veterans in six rural counties in Wisconsin, with resources aligned to case management, traditional and ancillary therapies, peer support, and group events;
• $27,287 for MKE Urban Stables to expand the equine-assisted mental health program for veterans and provide additional capacity for the veteran community to access therapists and resources;
• $50,000 for North Winds Rescue to expand veteran access to equine therapies by assisting the development of the space and programming to increase capacity for veteran services;
• $60,000 for Starfish Foundation to train 16 instructors in a mental health first aid program. The foundation will then deploy the training to 120 recipients across the state in the first year, providing a cadre of trained volunteers to support veterans with community resources and mental health supports;
• $50,000 for Trinity Equestrian Center to expand their equine therapy program by adding another horse, training for three equine therapists, and scheduling additional services for the veteran community; and
• Over $5,900 for Wisconsin Hero Outdoors to fund additional supplies and services for non-traditional, nature-based therapies for post-traumatic stress, depression, and isolation.

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS BY EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO INVEST IN WISCONSIN’S VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE 2025-27 BIENNIAL BUDGET
Gov. Evers recognizes that veterans in Wisconsin and across the nation continue to face significant challenges when adjusting to civilian life. That’s why supporting Wisconsin’s veterans and their families and ensuring they have the resources and tools needed to thrive in their civilian lives has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration since Day One.

Building on efforts throughout his administration, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers provides important investments and provisions that support services for veterans. This includes:

• $5 million to support the operations of the Wisconsin Veterans Homes;
• $200,000 to increase transportation grants to counties for providing transportation to medical facilities for veterans;
• $50,000 to increase the grant amount for Camp American Legion;
• Providing a five percent increase for county veterans service officers and Tribal veterans service offices that serve veterans in communities across the state;
• $2.5 million for a new grant program to fund housing and comprehensive support services to veterans;
• $35 million for needed capital building projects at the Wisconsin Veterans Homes to repair plumbing, abate lead, replace boilers, and improve technology;
• $3.4 million devoted to continuing expansion of the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery; and
• $5 million to support a grant for war memorials in populous counties to honor our nation’s heroes.

However, Republicans on the state’s budget committee voted to eliminate several provisions from the governor’s proposed budget that would have made Veterans Day a state holiday, helped expand access to healthcare and affordable housing, and cut taxes to give veterans more breathing room in their household budgets, including providing:

• $1.9 million for the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program, and as a result, two of the state’s three veterans homes will now be forced to close their doors;
• $1.1 million for the Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program (VORP), which provides outreach, treatment, and support to veterans who have a mental health condition or a substance use disorder;
• $5 million for a new veterans benefits management system, which would have replaced several existing systems used to track and manage application and benefit payments, which the department asserts are outdated and no longer capable of effectively managing programs;
• New caretaker positions at state veterans cemeteries;
• $1 million for the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project for missions to recover and identify veterans missing in action;
• $5 million for emergency and community-based mental health services for veterans;
• Expanded access to and increased grant limits under the Assistance for Needy Veterans Grant program;
• $23 million in tax relief to veterans and their families by expanding the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit to include renters;
• $66.5 million in tax relief for disabled veterans and their families by expanding the eligibility for the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit to allow those with disability ratings of 70 percent or greater to claim the credit;
• Support for peer-run respite centers, including the peer-run respite center for veterans;
• Tuition free remission for the UW System for Hmong-Lao veterans and an expanded definition of “veteran” for the purposes of qualifying for certain state programs to include more Hmong-Lao veterans; and
• Support to expand the oral history collections at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and develop preliminary plans and specifications for the construction of a new Wisconsin Veterans Museum building on the museum’s current location, all of which was rejected by Republicans on the state’s budget committee.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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