(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that it would award $52.5 million in grants to groups that implement tailored suicide prevention programs and services for veterans and their families.
The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program include 85 organizations across 41 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico to fund services in fiscal year 2025.
The grants are a part of VA’s National Strategy for preventing veteran suicide.
“It takes all of us, working together, to prevent Veteran suicide,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “By working together with these organizations in the community, we’ll be able to save more lives and get one step closer to our goal of ensuring that no Veteran is ever alone in their time of need.”
In addition to grants, VA has taken steps to expand veteran suicide prevention efforts, including offering free emergency suicide prevention care, regardless of enrollment status.
In 2021, 6,392 veterans died by suicide, an increase of 114 suicides from 2020, according to the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report released in November 2023. The unadjusted rate of suicide in 2021 among U.S. veterans was 33.9 per 100,000, up from 32.6 per 100,000 in 2020. That’s compared to 16.7 per 100,000 for non-veteran U.S. adults for the same year, according to the report.
Veterans in crisis or concerned about one, can contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, dial 988 then press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.