Three decades after serving in the Middle East, U.S. Navy veteran Byron Parker’s health issues left him on the verge of homelessness. A stroke and two hip replacements hindered his ability to work and turned his life upside down.
“Since I hadn’t been able to work and with the expenses, I had depleted my savings,” he recalled.
That’s when a counselor from the local Veterans Affairs office intervened and connected him with the Veterans Bridge Home program. Byron met housing navigator Michael Padgett, who previously served in the United States Coast Guard and brings a unique understanding and empathy to his role, helping fellow veterans navigate challenges through connecting, leading and advocating locally.
Byron now lives at the Park at Ferentino in Charlotte, North Carolina, a property that was acquired by Community Solutions, a nonprofit working to eliminate homelessness among veterans as a part of its Built for Zero initiative, with support from UnitedHealth Group and other funders.
“I almost had to live in my car. I worried about what I was going to do and where I was going to go,” Byron said. “This solution came at the right time.”
Investing in our veterans
Byron’s problem isn’t isolated. More than 32,000 U.S. veterans are currently experiencing homelessness, according to the most recent data from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Due to a number of factors, such as higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, veterans have a higher likelihood than nonveterans of becoming homeless.
Today, UnitedHealth Group is announcing a second commitment to Community Solutions to continue this important work with a proven partner. This additional investment will bring the company’s total support to $40 million.
Learn more about the partnership with Community Solutions.
1,300 homes
To date, UnitedHealth Group’s partnership with Community Solutions has helped support over 1,300 homes across seven states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
43% newly housed
Of those, 43% are newly housed veterans.
“Stable housing is more than a roof, it’s a foundation for better health. At UnitedHealth Group, we recognize the unique challenges faced by veterans and military families. Our investments in housing, health and social services with Community Solutions demonstrates our deep commitment to reducing health disparities and how public and private partners can come together to drive measurable progress toward ending homelessness.”
Catherine Anderson | SVP, health optimization strategy, UnitedHealth Group
160 communities
Community Solutions’ Built for Zero initiative partners with over 160 communities nationwide, taking a unique approach to making homelessness rare and brief.
111K veterans housed
More than 111,000 veterans have been housed by Built for Zero communities since 2015.
Community Solutions
Part of what makes Community Solutions’ approach unique is the linkage to local communities’ homelessness response systems, using real-time information about people experiencing homelessness to enable rapid housing placement. Community Solutions has helped communities reduce the average time for veterans to move from homelessness to homes.
Through a unique collaboration between Community Solutions, community-based housing navigators and Veterans Affairs housing navigators, veterans receive seamless support that bridges community resources and VA benefits. This dual-navigation model is designed to make sure that no veteran falls through the cracks when transitioning from homelessness to a home.
“Rigorous collaboration is the key to making homelessness rare and brief. Community Solutions’ Built for Zero approach guides communities in working as a team to get results. Collaboration with partners like UnitedHealth Group furthers this impact – helping us connect housing to those who need it most and measure the impact of this investment on long-term health outcomes.”
Rosanne Haggerty | CEO of Community Solutions
Since 2011, UnitedHealth Group has prioritized investing in housing developments that offer affordable and fair market rental homes to help revitalize the communities of greatest need. UnitedHealth Group has surpassed $1.2 billion in housing investments, which has helped create more than 32,000 rental homes across 33 states and the District of Columbia. The additional $15 million commitment to Community Solutions will add to the growing number of homes preserved as affordable. UnitedHealth Group has a long history of investing in housing communities specifically designed to support military veterans and their families, including Fort Snelling Upper Post and Veterans East in Minneapolis, Connections Housing in San Diego, and many others that reserve a portion of the units for veterans.
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Antonio R.
San Diego, CA"The care coordinators benefit the residents big-time. So instead of it being a place where you just pay rent, it’s a community.”
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Roger S.
Phoenix, AZ“This housing helped me calm down. I can bake my own bread. If I were homeless, I wouldn’t be able to get a library card.”
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