The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) will soon receive a $750,000 federal grant after being chosen to participate again in the federal Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.
The program, now in its third year, was created to honor Parker Gordon Fox, an Army sniper instructor who died by suicide at the age of 25. It is designed to help enable suicide prevention programs and services for veterans and their families and shape those programs to serve specific communities.
"MVAA is tremendously excited to accept this funding, on behalf of Michigan's more than 516,000 veterans, from the VA's Staff Sgt. Fox Grant program for the third year in a row," said MVAA director Brian Love. "This funding is vital in supporting MVAA's mental health, suicide and homelessness prevention initiatives impacting Michigan's veteran community."
Congress authorized $174 million to be appropriated to carry out the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. Organizations can apply for grants worth up to $750,000 and may apply to renew awards from year to year throughout the length of the program.
The grant program is part of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, signed into law on October 17, 2020, which broadens mental health care and suicide prevention programs that will effectively evaluate and treat mental health conditions for veterans.
A White House report noted that since 2010, more than 65,000 veterans had died by suicide, which exceeds the total number of deaths from combat during the Vietnam War and the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
By identifying specific risk factors that cause mental health struggles or suicidal ideation, the program helps individuals address these areas and thrive in all facets of life.
The Program offers Michigan veterans immediate and ongoing support, including:
• Peer support
• Education on suicide risk and prevention to families and communities
• VA benefits assistance
• Benefit coordination
• Assistance with emergency needs
• Outreach to identify those at risk of suicide
All veterans of any branch or service of the United States Uniformed Services, which includes all Armed Forces, and the families of enrolled program participants are eligible for the program.
The Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program is not a substitute for the Veteran Crisis Line, though.
To get started, veterans should call the MVAA's Michigan Veterans Resource Service Center at 1-800-MICH-VET.