About Village for Vets

MISSION STATEMENT

Village for Vets fills critical gaps in key services for homeless and at-risk Veterans on their journey to stability and independence in greater Los Angeles and beyond.

HOW WE WORK

Village for Vets prioritizes programs that make it easier for homeless and at-risk vets to access a wider range of support. All Village for Vets programs are on the VA campus or in association with programs and people who can help homeless and at-risk veterans enroll in additional services.

Village for Vets is nimble and responsive, launching projects and programs in response to changing needs and requests from Veterans’ service providers. By blending government funding with private donations, we’re able to provide structured services through SSVF and flexible, responsive care through Veteran Street Academy. This dual approach ensures we can assist all veterans, especially those with the most complex needs.

OUR ORIGINS AND IMPACT

Village for Vets was founded as a response to an urgent need and is rooted in the personal experience of the founder and her family. A VA social worker who was buying food out-of-pocket for the veterans she was serving called our founder, Marcie Polier Swartz, asked her if she could bring twenty-five sandwiches to feed homeless Veterans seeking service at the Greater Los Angeles VA. Marcie delivered those sandwiches back in 2016, and Village for Vets grew from that first act of service. Marcie has a deep personal connection to the VA and to helping those who have served: her brother relied on her to help him navigate VA services after he left the Navy.

Since it was founded, Village for Vets has grown tenfold, expanding from providing a few dozen sandwiches to ease the out-of-pocket burden on a VA case manager to a dozen programs in partnership with major homeless and veteran service organizations in greater Los Angeles. Village for Vets has provided over half a million dollars in emergency financial assistance, more than one hundred thousand meals to homeless and at-risk veterans, and an array of other support services to Veterans in need.