WE’RE CHANGING LIVES!

In the near future, we will be renovating and expanding The Vets Place shelter, located at 32 Mill Road in Yaphank, NY. The shelter is run by Suffolk County United Veterans, a project of the Association for Mental Health and Wellness.

When complete, the shelter will be transformed into a new community hub for our Veteran services, with an expanded kitchen and dining area creating a multi-purpose space for 50 people. It will provide additional space to host community presentations that reach an even broader audience. In addition, we will have expanded meeting and office space to create greater privacy to support sensitive individual and group conversations. We will also install an elevator to the second-floor offices and conference room to provide for improved disability accessibility. These much-needed renovations will provide for the dignity of our returning Veterans as they work on their goal of housing permanency.

The need is great for our Veterans. This 23-bed shelter serves over 200 homeless Veterans each year who face challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, unresolved grief and loss, and serious long-term health issues. Hundreds more, along with their families, are served through our food pantries and our Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project. In 2017, we provided over 1,600 three-day food packages to Veterans and families. We also connected with over 500 Veterans who participated in peer-run support groups or individual peer mentoring.

The Shelter Renovation Campaign is seeking a range of support. We welcome product donations and meal donations from licensed food establishments such as restaurants, hotels, and delis. A more detailed list of these types of donations can be found here.

To provide financial support, please use the online form below. For those who make a substantial donation, we welcome a conversation to discuss naming opportunities for certain spaces.

For more information about our Shelter Renovation Campaign, please contact Ruth McDade, MHAW’s Director of Development, at (631) 471-7242 x1329 or email rmcdade@mhaw.org.

We thank you in advance for supporting our community’s Veterans.