There are just over 100,000 U.S. veterans in King County. Military service can often cause or exacerbate behavioral health and wellness concerns among servicemembers and veterans. Federal benefits are an important primary source for veterans’ behavioral health care, but some veterans may be ineligible for VA care while others may find that seeking services at the VA is a significant cause of trauma itself. Military service also creates burdens that go beyond servicemembers to their families. Family members of veterans and servicemembers often struggle alongside their loved one and access to family counseling is not typically included in federal VA benefits. Family counseling for spouses, children and other close family members that takes into account the military experience is often extremely limited, making it difficult to access well-informed and responsive counseling services.
To fill these gaps in the current landscape of available counseling services, a new funding opportunity is available from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), that seeks to enhance the behavioral health and wellness of U.S. veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
Funding for veteran and military family counseling
The VSHSL Veteran and Military Family Counseling strategy seeks to fund an organization(s) to coordinate and oversee the provision of behavioral health care (counseling) services to veterans who experience PTSD and other readjustment concerns resulting from their military service, along with counseling to help veterans facing end of life. Funded organizations should also oversee the availability of counseling support for military servicemembers and their families before, during and after deployments and other significant events related to military service. Programs should provide equitable access to funded services in convenient locations to veterans and their family members living throughout King County.
Organizations funded under this strategy should be subject matter experts in culturally competent counseling needs of veterans and military families, particularly evidence-based, evidence-informed and emerging practices around PTSD, and local veteran and community-based resources.
Application details
Available funding: Up to $2,559,786 in VSHSL funds
Investment period: August 3, 2020 – December 31, 2023 (subject to change)
Questions: Contact Gretchen Bruce at Gretchen.Bruce@kingcounty.gov
Applications due: June 16, 2020 by 11:59 pm
Bidders Conference:
May 26, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 am
Join by Skype web app
Join by phone: 206-263-8114, Conference ID: 185827#
The Bidders Conference session will be recorded and posted at kingcounty.gov/VSHSL-Funding.
For more information and to apply visit: www.Zoomgrants.com/zgf/VSHSL_Veteran_and_Family_Counseling
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