The challenges face by Service Members and Veterans can be overwhelming. No one is alone in this struggle. While there is no easy answer to healing and recovering from the mental and physical challenges Veterans experience you do not have to struggle alone. The BAVSPNs goal is to connect Veterans with services before they reach crisis, but if you are in crisis now, please reach out to somebody. The hotline above is always open. Reach out to your community and let them know you are hurting and could use some assistance getting through things. Below is a list of organizations in the Bay Area that provide support and community for the Veteran population. Connecting with a cohort of people who share similar experiences, and understand the particular issues that Veterans carry with them, can be an invaluable aid to recovering from and avoiding reaching a crisis point.
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PGA HOPE is a nationwide program sponsored and supported by the PGA. Through a series of bi-annual clinics and a schedule of rotating PlayDays at assorted golf courses around the Bay Area and nationwide, PGA HOPE offers therapeutic golf lessons, with a focus on aiding disabled Veterans in overcoming their challenges and participating in the program. Any active duty or retired military member is welcome.
Golf is an activity that requires concentration, focus and physical control, and offers a low stress way to increase activity levels and physical conditioning, develop healthy mental focus, and build social ties.
All of this increases the mental and physical health of the participants and leads to long term healing of trauma.
The VA offers many programs and this site is an online portal to many of their resources and programs. Videos and podcasts are available, addressing the challenges of facing a mental health crisis with out needing to actually reach out physically to anyone if that seems too difficult. You can, in the privacy of your own space, explore information about the threat of suicide, the effect of PTSD and sexual assault.
If you are in crisis and need to connect to someone, but a phone call seems too hard there is a chat feature for the Veterans Crisis Line. 24/7 help is a click away. Not required to be registered with the VA to utilize the service, it's open to all.
Housing insecurity is experience by many Veterans. If you need help securing housing contact the VA Homeless Program. They may have guidance on how you can get assistance.
