Homefront Military Network briefs Fountain council on veteran support and new suicide-prevention grants

Kate Hatton, executive director of Homefront Military Network, gave the council an annual update on the organization's services and impact during the April 14 meeting.

Hatton said Homefront provides emergency financial assistance for rent, mortgage and utility bills and operates long-term case navigation through a network of partner agencies. She told the council the organization distributes between $230,000 and $350,000 annually in emergency assistance and that, since its founding and through mergers, the network has provided more than $6.5 million in emergency financial assistance since 2004 (with merger-adjusted figures noted for recent years). She said the organization works with 57 partner agencies to coordinate housing, benefits navigation, employment and behavioral-health referrals.

Hatton highlighted client outcomes reported by the nonprofit: high rates of stable housing after assistance and reductions in reported stress and anxiety among clients who receive services. She also described two new grants focused on suicide prevention in El Paso and Teller counties—a VA-related grant and support from the Colorado Springs Health Foundation—designed to identify suicide risk earlier in the case-management process.

Council members thanked Hatton for the presentation and asked no substantive follow-up questions. Hatton offered outreach materials and event information and said staff would provide contact and referral forms to council staff.

The presentation was informational; no fiscal request or council action was taken at the meeting.