In this heartfelt episode, Penji’s Partnership coordinator, Daniela talks to Anthony Roberts from Steadfast Veterans to discuss how he turned a personal encounter into a powerful mission: providing homes for homeless veterans. Discover the unique challenges and triumphs of navigating the nonprofit world, the critical importance of holistic support, and the surprising realities of military transition.
Three things you’ll learn in this episode:
1. Addressing Veteran Homelessness with a Holistic Approach: Anthony Roberts founded Steadfast Veterans after encountering a homeless Marine living in his childhood home, highlighting the deep-seated issues veterans face upon returning to civilian life. Steadfast Veterans focuses on providing stable housing—525 sq. ft., one-bedroom, one-bath homes—as the foundational step for veterans to then access critical "wraparound services" for emotional, physical, financial, and addiction support from partner agencies.
2. Unique Nonprofit Model for Maximum Impact: Steadfast Veterans operates with a distinct financial model where 100% of direct donations go specifically to the construction and building process of homes, separating these funds from administrative costs, which are covered by government-provided HUD-VASH rental vouchers. This transparent approach aims to maximize the impact of donations and avoid common criticisms faced by larger nonprofits regarding overhead.
3. Challenges of Military Transition and Societal Misconceptions: Anthony sheds light on why veterans struggle with homelessness, attributing it to the drastic shift from highly structured military life to unstructured civilian life, personal trauma (like PTSD from witnessed combat), and societal misunderstandings of military service. He also notes the undercounting of female homeless veterans due to "couch surfing" and the overall need for better transition support from the military itself.
About Anthony and Steadfast Veterans:
- Website: https://steadfastveterans.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-roberts-54b50a131/
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