Milwaukee Is About to More Than Double Housing for Homeless Veterans. Here’s Why That Number Matters More Than the Ribbon-Cutting.
Thirty-two. That’s how many single-room units Vets Place Central on Milwaukee’s west side has had for nearly 30 years. Right now, the nonprofit that runs it — the Center for Veterans Issues — is housing 74 veterans inside a building designed for far fewer, which means many of them are doubled up in rooms meant […]
40 Tiny Homes, One Northwest Side Lot: Inside Milwaukee’s Bet on Ending Veteran Homelessness
Forty tiny homes are going up on a seven-acre lot on Milwaukee’s northwest side, and if you served, you should care about this project even if you’ve never needed anything like it yourself, because it’s a test of whether this country has actually learned anything about how to house veterans instead of just talking about […]
The 22 Percent: Why Black Veterans Carry a Heavier PTSD Burden, and What Actually Closes the Gap
There’s a number I want to sit with for a minute before I explain why it matters: 22 percent. That’s the share of Black veterans who deployed and report post-traumatic stress disorder, according to recent Department of Veterans Affairs research. For white veterans who deployed, that number is 14.1 percent. Same wars. Same deployments, broadly […]
More Black Men Are Walking Into Therapy Offices. The System Behind That Door Still Isn’t Ready for Them.
A real cultural shift is underway — more Black men choosing therapy over silence. But a shortage of culturally competent Black providers means the door is opening faster than the system behind it can staff up.
UWM Is Folding Its Veterans Center Into a Shared Hub. Student Vets Have Seen This Movie Before.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is merging its Military & Veterans Resource Center into an eight-group shared student hub. Administrators call it consolidation. The veterans who rely on it call it a warning sign.
The Suicide Numbers Nobody in My Community Wants to Say Out Loud
Black Americans’ suicide death rate has climbed 53% in a decade, with young Black men bearing the sharpest edge of the crisis — and Black veterans face nearly double the PTSD rate of their white counterparts. Marcus Hart on why this crisis stays hidden and what actually moves the needle.
We Keep Calling It Awareness Month. Black Men Are Calling It Survival.
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and the data on Black men is getting worse, not better. Marcus Hart on why naming the crisis isn’t the same as building the off-ramp.
Milwaukee’s Veterans Are Lining Up for Food. That’s Not a Local Story – It’s a National Warning Sign.
The Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin food pantry has gone from serving 150 veterans a week to nearly 400. As a combat veteran covering this from inside Milwaukee, I can tell you exactly what that number represents, and it isn’t just about groceries.
The VA Just Bet on Psychedelics for PTSD. As a Combat Veteran, Here’s What I Actually Want to Know.
A new HHS-VA partnership will fast-track research into psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD, potentially reaching over a million veterans. Marcus Hart, a combat veteran, weighs the promise against the questions the announcement doesn’t answer.
Marcus Hart Opens Up About Being Pushed Out By His Own Church — New Transform U: Veteran Stories Episode
Marcus Hart opens up in a new Transform U: Veteran Stories episode about the Milwaukee church that pushed him out during his darkest season, and how he found his way back to a steadier faith.