Women Veterans In Crisis Whispering Oaks Ranch

The Veterans Administration’s top clinical priority is reduction of the veteran su***de rate of 20 each day (600 su***des monthly!), yet 14 of these 20 or 70%, are not in the VA system of care. Within this high-risk and exceptionally vulnerable unserved group are women veterans experiencing acting out or self-harm behaviors due to service related trauma such as those with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, debilitating depression or suicidal thoughts. For these women vets, other than VA services there are no genuine comprehensive alternatives for care – none – until now.

Our pilot program Whispering Oaks Ranch provides a full spectrum of clinical mental health and social wrap-around services such as housing, clothing and food to bring our women vets through crisis intervention, stabilization, rehabilitation and then into normalized independent living. Our comprehensive programs are designed to break the homeless lifestyle of hunger, desperation and su***de and get our women veterans and their children off our streets for good.

Women Veterans In Crisis is the first-in-the-nation 501(c)3 public charity with the focus of assisting women veterans suffering with very severe PTSD, MST, incapacitating depression, substance or alcohol abuse, suicidal behaviors or other emotional disorders. Sadly, far too many of these women and their children are not involved with the VA and often are found living on our city streets or wandering from overnight shelter to shelter. These women veterans "fall through the cracks" in the VA system set up to provide for their care. A system so overloaded by need that nobody comes looking for t se who have fallen. These are our forgotten heroes, disregarded casualties of war, literally Missing in Action in America. We are a nation-wide program and intend to reduce as best we can homelessness, desperation and hunger, the awful epidemic of women veterans' poor mental health and the related heartbreaking statistic of 20 veterans committing su***de daily - that's over 7,000 lives lost each year! This is a true national tragedy and disgrace.

Women Veterans In Crisis forms a safety net for women veterans and their dependent children by providing community-based services for intensive mental health conditions caused by service related trauma. Our wrap-around social services reintroduce struggling women vets back into society by teaching practical realistic necessities such as finding decent housing, acquiring resources, managing money, utilizing transportation systems, making use of government services, maintaining good hygiene, self-management of medications and finding employment. As participants stabilize in our multi-month programs they are placed within the VA system of care if they qualify or with other less intensive state, local and non-profit veterans support organizations. This assures participant continuity of care and greatly reducing the risk of emotional decompensation and su***de, and providing the utmost likelihood for happy, independent living.