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The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Zero Suicide - Meet the Staten Island Military, Veteran, Family (SMVF) Task Force!
Big or Small, it Takes Us All – the “Face the Fight” Coalition Mounts a Fierce National Effort to Reduce Veteran Suicide
As a result of End Veteran Debt (EVD) putting on a micro-summit on veteran debt and suicide in NYC on September 9, I was extended an invitation to join a Face the Fight (FTF) special finance group. I accepted the offer, completed the onboarding process, and attended a team meeting.
It encouraged me – and will you – that suicide can and will be tamed. Here are a few things that attracted me to join the We Face The Fight (FTF) coalition:
#1. Unity. Face the Fight is a coalition of corporations, foundations, nonprofit and veteran-focused organizations joined together to raise awareness and support for veteran suicide prevention.
#2. Smart. FTF knows that its first task is to break the stigma through national public awareness and education campaigns and locally through face-to-face dialogue.
#3. Evidence based. The best way to reach a destination is first to determine your starting point. Despite billions of dollars and tens of thousands of hours invested to date, the return is disappointingly small. Acquiring, processing and putting that data to work is essential to forward-success strategies.
#4. Strength and National Presence. FTF’s founding members and the scores of operations that have joined in this mission since read like a Who’s Who of veteran and civilian organizations. Who wouldn’t want to join that army?
The value of EVD’s focus on unpayable debt as a “Social Determinant”
Only recently has debt been identified as a leading “social determinant” of veteran suicidal ideation and the act itself. Simply taking debt off someone’s mind (or their back) goes a long way in freeing them up to bettr face their other challenges.
I will guarantee you that, in addition to every other social ill that line up to crush even the strongest service member or veteran, be it PTSD, domestic problems, homelessness, joblessness, loneliness, or run-ins with the court system, that debt plays a role before, during, or after these already-difficult challenges.
It’s a cause of suicide hiding in plain sight. Stay tuned as we bring it into sharper focus.
(If you're ready to help win this battle, contact me for details and introductions.)
