Virginia organizations set to get $4.1 million for veteran suicide prevention efforts

A press release from the offices of U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that Virginia is set to get $4.1 million for veteran suicide prevention efforts.

The federal money will support eight community organizations that connect veterans and their families to mental health resources, outreach programs, suicide prevention services, and other critical support, per the release, which went out on Wednesday.

The grants are being awarded through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which was created by bipartisan legislation that Sen. Warner wrote and Sen. Kaine supported.

The legislation was signed into law as part of the broader Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, which passed the Senate unanimously in 2020.

The grant awards include:

• $750,000 for EveryMind Inc. to serve regions including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
• $750,000 for Volunteers of America Chesapeake to serve Arlington, Augusta, Chesterfield, Culpeper, Cumberland, Fairfax, Fauquier, King and Queen, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Bristol, Chesapeake, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Norton, Staunton, Virginia Beach, Waynesboro, and Winchester.
• $750,000 for Blue Star Families Inc. to serve regions including the city of Norfolk.
• $725,000 for Boulder Crest Foundation to serve regions including Clarke, Frederick, and Loudoun counties.
• $512,053 for Westcare Kentucky Inc. to serve regions including Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties.
• $357,782 for Mountain Valor Veteran Services to serve Patrick, Wythe, Floyd, Montgomery, Carroll, Pulaski, and Franklin counties, as well as the city of Radford.
• $200,000 for United States Veterans Initiative – U.S. VETS D.C. to serve regions including Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren counties.
• $100,000 for Western Tidewater Community Services Board to serve Accomack, Essex, Isle of Wight, King and Queen, Mathews, Middlesex, Northampton, Sussex, Southampton, and Washington counties, as well as the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg.