Strengthening Community-Based Suicide Prevention for Veterans

Last year, Cabana was awarded an initial one-year contract by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to launch a community-based suicide prevention initiative focused on strengthening local systems of care for Veterans. The program combines community outreach with virtual peer support to help Veterans access meaningful connections and support where they live.

This project builds on Cabana’s recognition as a VA Mission Daybreak awardee, an initiative focused on accelerating innovative approaches to reducing Veteran suicide.

The program officially launched last May in partnership with two leading Veteran Service Organizations: Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) in South Carolina and Veterans Bridge Home (VBH) in North Carolina. Both organizations were recipients of the VA’s Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP), which supports community-based efforts aimed at reaching Veterans who may be outside of traditional VA systems of care.

Over the past several months, Cabana has worked under VA oversight to pilot a new model that integrates virtual peer support with the trusted, on-the-ground relationships established by community Veteran organizations. The pilot also includes collaboration with the Penn State Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness, which is helping evaluate the program and its impact.

Together, Cabana, alongside these partners are working to create a more connected support ecosystem—one that meets Veterans where they are, reduces barriers to engagement, and strengthens the network of care available to them within their own communities.

Insights and outcomes from the program’s first year are now available in the year one report, which outlines key findings, lessons learned, and opportunities for expanding this model of community-connected support.

You can read the full report here.