This is what the Daytona Beach Veterans Memorial Plaza will look like
Josh Wagner led the effort to bring the Veterans Memorial Plaza to Daytona Beach and spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony on June 20, 2024.
The state has increased funding for a Naples-based nonprofit that helps veterans with the “invisible wounds of war” so more veterans can benefit and move on with their lives.
The legislature has allocated $2 million for Home Base Florida through 2025, which will provide clinical care, mental health, wellness support and other services to veterans in the region.
The funding is $500,000 more than what the state allocated in 2024.
More: Are veterans in Naples getting what they deserve? What is there, what is coming and what is needed
The $2 million will allow Home Base Florida to expand to Pensacola, expand its outpatient and telehealth services, expand an existing fitness program, and help build services for treating traumatic brain injury.
Some of the money will go to support the organization’s local programs in Collier and Lee counties, said Armando Hernandez, the organization’s executive director in Florida.
How many veterans live in SWFL?
According to 2023 data from the state Department of Health, Lee is home to about 52,000 veterans, while Collier is home to about 23,000 veterans.
According to veterans organizations, the number of veterans moving to the region and to Florida is increasing as the need for services grows. The Florida Department of Veteran Affairs says 1.4 million veterans live in the state.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides assistance to veterans in need in Florida and elsewhere.
The federal VA-American State announced on August 16 the award of nearly $55 million in grants in Florida to provide supportive services to homeless and at-risk veterans.
What does Home Base Florida do?
Home Base Florida is part of a national nonprofit organization founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox dedicated to treating the invisible wounds of war, which include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, loss, grief and more.
In addition to clinical care, Home Base offers wellness programs and peer support. The company has partnerships with Florida Gulf Coast University, the YMCA, Lee Health and Tampa General Hospital in the region. Home Base provides local partners with specialized training to address the specific needs of veterans.
Republican state Rep. Lauren Melo of Naples and Republican Sen. Jay Collins of Tampa, a U.S. Army veteran, helped raise the money for Home Base.
Which SWFL agencies does Home Base Florida work with?
Part of the state funding in Collier goes to Home Base’s partnership with the David Lawrence Center, a nonprofit provider of mental health care, and to Lee Health in Lee to provide mental health services to veterans.
This also benefits Home Base’s Warrior Health and Fitness program, which uses space at the Naples YMCA and Florida Gulf Coast University in Lee.
The 90-day program, which is free for veterans, provides supervised physical activity, nutrition, stress management and promotes a healthy lifestyle for veterans.
Home Base’s partnership model in Southwest Florida will be replicated at new locations in Tampa and the Panhandle, where the flagship Warrior program has already been launched.
In collaboration with Tampa General Hospital, a traumatic brain injury service is offered with specialized care for veterans with mild to moderate brain injuries.
In Pensacola, Home Base partners with Lakeview Center to provide behavioral health services to veterans in the North Florida region of the state.
For more information about Home Base, visit homebase.org/programs/florida/.
