Combating veteran suicides with peers, therapy, housing — and a little horse sense

IN JUNE 2021, a veteran named Chuck finally emerged from a five-and-a-half-month hospitalization for a work injury and subsequent infection that almost cost him his life. He could have ended up back on the streets, but instead he sought temporary housing from Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco nonprofit for homeless veterans. While hospitalized, Chuck had lost 50 pounds and had to relearn how to walk, but his battle to stay alive gave him a fresh perspective. “I didn’t want to die anymore,” he said simply. 

Chuck (who asked that we use only his first name) felt ready to acknowledge his challenges, which included a stint in drug rehab and dealing with bipolar illness, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Like many other veterans, he faced problems that went beyond trauma from military service: The tipping point for Chuck was when his wife of 25 years died of a brain aneurysm. “I saw my wife die right in front of me,” he said. “She was my best friend, and I lost my friggin’ mind.”