WDVA Awards More Than $474,000 in Veterans Mental Health Grants to Organizations Across Wisconsin

MADISON—The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) today announced 7 organizations are receiving $474,407 from two Veteran Mental Health grant programs that will directly subsidize mental health care for Wisconsin veterans. These grants are part of Governor Tony Evers’ $10 million investment in veteran services, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.

“Veterans stood up to protect our safety and security, now it’s time to stand up for them,” said WDVA Secretary-designee James Bond. “I’m so grateful to these grant recipients for providing vital services in their community. Mental health care is vital for former service members. We need to work together to make sure veterans can access all the health care they need in their civilian life, and we couldn’t do that without community partners across Wisconsin.”

The first program will directly offset the costs for individual veterans receiving emergency and crisis mental health treatment. The second program will fund ancillary mental health treatment for long-term and complementary treatments.

Emergency/Crisis Mental Health Treatment Program Grant Recipients:  

• Kenosha Human Development Services received $99,407 to reduce the barriers to emergency mental health treatment services for veterans, which include waitlists for behavioral health treatment, transportation, housing, and navigation of Veterans Services. Each veteran will be assigned a case manager who will develop a plan with the veteran to address their mental health needs.
• Trauma Life Consulting in Waunakee received $100,000 to provide crisis services to veterans, including but not limited to services that address PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, anger, grief and loss, alcohol and other drug abuse, stress management, and Trauma Informed Care counseling.
• Washington County, Wisconsin received $30,000 to fund outpatient services including crisis intervention, outpatient psychotherapy, and medication management from a prescriber. A small percentage of the grant award will be used for outreach and training for the providers to better serve incoming veterans. 

Ancillary Mental Health Treatment Program Grant Recipients:  

• Lac du Flambeau Family Resource Center received $50,000 to provide outreach and counseling services to the veterans in the Lac du Flambeau community and take down any barriers that may be in place. Their overall goal is to serve a minimum of 50 veterans through the course of the year. The Center will work with Tribal Veteran Services Offices, and they will host an open house event for veterans to meet the counselor and be introduced to the services.
• Next 18, Inc in Milwaukee received $50,000 to improve the overall mental health and well-being of veterans by providing immediate access to professional mental health support during their participation in the Next18 camps. The objective for the grant funds is to ensure veterans have the necessary support to address challenges effectively, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
• Stein Counseling & Consulting Services in Onalaska received $45,000 for their Dance Therapy Program for Veterans, which aims to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of veterans through dance therapy. By providing a platform for self-expression and coping, the program seeks to address trauma and develop effective strategies for veterans to navigate their emotions. Additionally, it aims to foster social connection and integration, reducing feelings of isolation and promoting a sense of belonging among participants.
• The Wellness Co-Op in Oconto Falls received $50,000 to increase access to free substance-use oriented mental health services for veterans in their community to improve mental health outcomes. They will establish partnerships with three local veteran-based organizations to establish a referral system to provide Warrior Wellness services to veterans, recruit qualified mental health professionals to deliver the program, and provide evidence-based substance abuse counseling, group therapy, project-based groups, and equine therapy sessions that address the unique needs of each participant.
• Trauma Life Consulting in Waunakee received $50,000 to provide alcohol and other drug abuse services for veterans, including individual and group therapy sessions. Trauma Life Consulting was the only grant recipient to receive grants from both programs.

In the coming weeks, WDVA will announce the second round for all the ARPA funded Veteran Mental Health grants, Emergency/Crisis, Ancillary, and Community-Based. To find out more about WDVA grant programs, visit the Grants Page.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.