For many veterans, the path home does not end when military service does. Instead, it can mark the start of a different kind of mission: rebuilding routines, reconnecting with community, and finding the stability needed to focus on mental health and well-being.

That journey can be especially difficult for veterans experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Across the country, more than 33,000 veterans are without shelter on any given night, and another 1.5 million are considered at risk of homelessness. Housing instability can create or compound mental health challenges, making it harder to access care, maintain relationships, and pursue employment.

The Cigna Group Foundation is investing in community-based organizations that understand this connection. The initiative is part of the Foundation’s $9 million, three-year commitment to improve veteran mental health through housing stability and wraparound support services.

A key partner is Veterans Community Project, a nonprofit founded by combat veterans to serve veterans facing homelessness, isolation, and barriers to support. Known for creating veteran homes and communities and offering individualized case management, Veterans Community Project provides transitional support and outreach for veterans in need.  

Rebuilding community after service

For Brandonn Mixon, co-founder of Veterans Community Project, the mission is clear and personal: leave no veteran behind after service.

He described the transition from military to civilian life as a time when many veterans lose the built-in support system that helped them feel grounded. In service, he said, people wake up alongside their unit, move through each day as part of a team, and rely on a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood. But that connection can quickly disappear in the civilian world. He also reflected on a life-changing moment where he struggled with his own mental health challenges, including suicidal thoughts during this transition.

“I remember how alone I felt. I promised that if I got through that moment in my life, I would never let another veteran feel that way,” Mixon said.  “A lot of [veterans] really struggle with reaching out and asking for help, but I don’t care what your discharge status is. I don’t care what you’re going through. You’re my battle buddy. We’re going to figure this out together.”

Veterans Community Project provides transitional homes and pairs veterans with case managers who help identify what each person needs to move forward, whether that includes help with rent, transportation, legal services, a discharge upgrade, employment support, dental care, or connection to mental health services.

Through a grant from The Cigna Group Foundation, as part of its Improving Veteran Mental Health initiative, Veterans Community Project has expanded its response to veterans before a crisis deepens. Mixon said the grant helps provide practical, immediate support for veterans who may be struggling with expenses, mental health concerns, or other needs that can stand in the way of stability and progress.

“Stability would be the word for how I feel,” said Anthony, an Army and National Guard veteran who receives services at Veterans Community Project. “Before, nothing was guaranteed — I didn’t know what was coming tomorrow. Now, I have stability.”

The grant also reflects a deeper partnership between the two organizations, as employees of The Cigna Group volunteer with Veterans Community Project, including hands-on work in 2025 and 2026 to support the tiny-home community in St. Louis.

Employees from The Cigna Group recently volunteered at Veterans Community Project in St. Louis, Missouri, supporting the organization’s tiny-home community for veterans transitioning home from service.

Housing as a path to health, hope, and dignity

For Marqueia Watson, national director of veteran support services at Veterans Community Project, housing is the starting point for nearly everything else that supports a person’s health – and a critical way to support veterans is to break the cycle of crises.

Watson, a licensed social worker, has seen firsthand how homelessness can keep people in survival mode, making it difficult to think about the future or address underlying health needs. Veterans Community Project’s model is relational, she said, helping veterans reconnect with who they are and what they want their lives to look like.

Watson said the funding has helped the organization support people at the “front door” of care through outreach, housing stabilization, and referrals to community partners.

Through the grant-supported work since 2025, Veterans Community Project has helped 325 people at very high risk of losing housing remain safely housed. The organization also referred 196 people to community partners for mental health and other support services, and completed 133 suicide prevention screenings.

The organization’s support also recognizes that stability means more than four walls. Veterans may arrive with children, pets, family members, or belongings that carry deep meaning. Creating space for those relationships can strengthen a person’s sense of purpose and connection.

U.S. Army and National Guard Veteran Anthony and his dog in front of their home in the Veterans Community Project village in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I see it happen every single day. Just having the dignity of a home and consistency and being able to get rest, and having people around them that care for them, their lives are transformed,” Watson said.

Helping veterans from stability to strength

Since 2024, The Cigna Group Foundation has invested more than $6 million with 46 nonprofit partners to improve veteran mental health through housing access and long-term stability, including services such as case management and job training.

“No veteran should have to navigate housing instability or mental health challenges alone,” said Ellie Polack, president of The Cigna Group Foundation. “That is why we are partnering with trusted local organizations to help connect veterans to housing solutions and wraparound services that support mental well-being and long-term stability.

The Cigna Group Foundation has a long history of impactful community support, and improving veteran mental health is one of the three commitments in its broader $27 million philanthropic initiative. The other two commitments focus on reducing barriers to health equity  and improving youth mental health.