Bridging the Gap in Veteran Services Along the I-85 Corridor
The region along the I-85 corridor between Atlanta, Greenville, and Charlotte faced a pressing need for more responsive veteran-catered services. The complexity of this issue was heightened by the diverse range of organizations committed to serving veterans, each operating independently and with different approaches. This lack of coordination led to fragmented service delivery, making it difficult for veterans to access the comprehensive support they needed. Despite their dedication, the existing veteran service organizations (VSOs) struggled to integrate and innovate their efforts across various platforms and geographies. Veterans, unlike the organizations serving them, do not have service boundaries and require seamless, holistic support to address their complex needs. The high suicide rates and severe mental health challenges among veterans in the region underscored the urgency of this issue. Moreover, operational barriers, such as incompatible CRM platforms and the need for manual data integration, further complicated the situation. Each state—Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina—had its unique strategies for addressing veteran issues, often leading to conflicting approaches and complicating efforts to create a unified front. Additionally, the varying stages of growth and maturity among the organizations posed challenges in aligning resources and establishing a common agenda for implementing new strategies and activities.
In 2018, Openfields was hired to help facilitate a plan to address the fragmented landscape of veteran services along the I-85 corridor by building a unified network of integrated veteran services. Three key organizations united—The Warrior Alliance (Atlanta), Upstate Warrior Solution (Greenville), and Veterans Bridge Home (Charlotte)—into a collaborative network called Mission 85. The coalition focused on a holistic service approach, addressing not only mental health but also homelessness, unemployment, and social isolation. By developing consistent standards and performance measures, Mission 85 aimed to ensure high-quality service delivery across all partner organizations. This included a multi-faceted suicide risk assessment to identify and support the most vulnerable veterans. Leveraging existing programs and securing support from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mission 85 enhanced collaboration efforts and addressed mental health and suicide prevention comprehensively. This integrated approach was designed to connect veterans to multiple services, fostering community trust and support. Through data-driven strategies, Mission 85 collected and analyzed cross-network data to understand veterans’ complex needs better. This approach enabled the initiative to adapt and respond more effectively to the evolving challenges faced by veterans and their families.
Impact
Mission 85’s initiatives led to substantial improvements in the delivery and integration of veteran services including:
- Enhanced Service Delivery: The collaborative efforts eliminated service gaps, providing veterans with more seamless access to holistic support from Atlanta to Charlotte.
- Improved Organizational Efficiency: The adoption of common standards and data-sharing protocols increased operational efficiency and effectiveness across partner organizations.
- Strengthened Community Engagement: The initiative fostered stronger community ties, ensuring veterans received continuous support from local organizations and communities.
- Data-Driven Insights: The collection and analysis of cross-network data enabled Mission 85 to better understand and meet the complex needs of veterans, improving overall service quality and impact.
Mission 85 continues to serve as a best practice model for aligning, coordinating, and executing integrated veteran services, setting a precedent for similar initiatives nationwide.
About Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The vision of the Arthur M. Blank Foundation is to create a world where sustainable and inclusive communities thrive.
Our work with Openfields has helped us see the limits in our own thinking and begin to generate ideas and alternatives to challenge and transform the status quo.
Dr. Jackie Counts
Director of the Center for Public Partnerships & Research at the University of Kansas
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