Source: PR Newswire
The Cigna Group Foundation announced today 22 recipients for the first year of its new grant program that aims to improve veteran mental health with a focus on housing stability. Through this initiative, The Cigna Group Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI), is allocating $9 million over the next three years as part of its continuing focus on veteran well-being.
“After serving and defending our country, many of our nation’s veterans struggle with long-term health conditions, including brain injuries, depression, and substance use disorders, all of which impact their ability to secure stable housing. By addressing shelter, we can put veterans on a better path for their mental health,” said Melissa Skottegaard, board chair of The Cigna Group Foundation. “We are grateful to have received interest from all over the country about our program, and we are thrilled to announce these 22 grantees that are making a positive difference every day in their communities.”
The grant program aims to help veterans who are facing an elevated risk of homelessness relative to the general population. The Cigna Group Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans – including underserved populations like women and veterans of color – feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health. Several of these organizations will leverage the Housing First model, which successfully reduced time to housing placement from 235 to 35 days, significantly lowered emergency room use, and increased housing retention rates when compared to other programs that prioritize treatment.
The 22 recipients include: U.S.Vets – Arizona (Arizona), Community Renewal Team, Inc. (Connecticut), Grand Avenue Economic Community Development Corp. (Florida), The Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County (Florida), Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council (Florida), City of Refuge, Inc. (Georgia), Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans (Illinois), The University of Chicago (Illinois), Veterans Community Project (Missouri), Family Promise of Sussex County (New Jersey), Robin’s Home, Inc. (Pennsylvania), Veterans Leadership Program (Pennsylvania), Veterans Place of Washinton Boulevard (Pennsylvania), Operation Stand Down Tennessee (Tennessee), Tennessee Homeless Solutions (Tennessee), Opportunity Center for the Homeless (Texas), St. Vincent’s House (Texas), U.S.Vets – Texas (Texas), Back On My Feet (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas), Homes For Our Troops (Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona), Operation Finally Home (Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas), and Veterans Rebuilding Life (Connecticut, New Jersey).
Permanent Housing, Mental Health Support Will Be Primary Objectives in Key Markets
The organizations selected for grant funding will focus their efforts on three target areas to address housing stability among veteran populations, including:
- Mobilizing rapid re-housing assistance and reducing evictions: Organizations will use the Housing First model – an approach that does not limit length of stay before stabilizing – to improve health, reduce harmful behaviors, and increase income.
- Acting as a navigator for complex processes: Organizations will utilize targeted case management and outreach to connect veterans to financial assistance programs from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as connect them to health and mental health support.
- Increasing pathways to permanent housing: Organizations will achieve this by offering veterans wraparound services, including mortgage and rental assistance, employment re-entry training and the development and building of housing geared for veterans.
The Cigna Group Foundation prioritized grants in regions where The Cigna Group serves a significant number of customers with high and very high social determinant of health risks, as well as where it has a concentration of employees. This includes Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
Additional Wraparound Support
In 2024, The Cigna Group Foundation awarded Habitat for Humanity International a $250,000 grant to support increased homeownership opportunities to veterans through an expansion of its HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) initiative. This program links HUD rental assistance vouchers with continued case management for veterans who have faced homelessness.
Employee volunteerism also plays a key role in The Cigna Group’s efforts to support veterans’ mental health. This fall, The Cigna Group employees from across the country volunteered over 400 hours to support housing projects for local veterans in eight states. By partnering with community organizations like Veterans Community Project, Operation Finally Home, and Veterans Villages, employees tackled a wide range of hands-on projects, including home construction, landscaping, repair, and painting. Employees have also been able to take advantage of a virtual, on-demand training to give them tools and knowledge in the battle against veteran suicide.
