Funding will expand locally based support, connection and suicide prevention efforts for Veterans and their families across four rural Kansas counties
GREAT BEND, Kan. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is continuing its mission of preventing Veteran suicide by working with community-based organizations across the country, including The Center for Counseling & Consultation in Great Bend.
Through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP), The Center has been awarded $411,370 to expand suicide prevention efforts and strengthen support for Veterans and their families across Barton, Pawnee, Rice and Stafford counties.
The award represents the full amount requested by The Center and will support the development of its Veteran Connection & Stability Program, a community-based approach designed to make it easier for Veterans to know where to turn, who to call and how to connect with the resources available to them.
“Receiving this grant is an incredible opportunity, but the most important part isn’t the dollar amount—it’s what those dollars will allow us to do for Veterans and their families,” said Wendy Lockwood, Executive Director of The Center for Counseling & Consultation. “In rural communities, finding the right resource can be complicated by distance, transportation, provider shortages and simply not knowing where to begin. We want Veterans to know they don’t have to navigate those systems alone.”
The SSG Fox SPGP provides funding to community-based organizations serving eligible Veterans, service members and their families through non-clinical and innovative approaches to preventing Veteran suicide.
Through its award, The Center will build a stronger local network of Veteran support across a service area spanning more than 3,000 square miles of rural Central Kansas. The program will focus on proactive outreach and early intervention, Veteran-to-Veteran peer support, individualized case management and resource navigation, crisis follow-up, transportation coordination, family education and connections to housing, employment, behavioral health care, VA benefits and other community resources.
The program will also strengthen collaboration among local, state, federal and community organizations serving Veterans, helping reduce gaps between available resources and the Veterans who need them.
Built With Veterans, Not Just For Veterans
Veteran voices have played a central role in developing The Center’s approach.
The Center convened a Veteran advisory group representing different generations, military experiences and perspectives to help identify gaps in existing services and consider what would make Veterans more likely to seek and accept support. That input helped shape the grant proposal and will continue to guide the program as services are implemented.
“Trust matters,” Lockwood said. “We believe one of the strongest tools we have is Veterans supporting Veterans. The people we hope to serve need to see themselves reflected in this work and know that the people sitting across from them understand the culture, experiences and challenges that can come with military service.”
Rather than duplicating services already available through the VA or other organizations, The Center’s goal is to serve as a trusted local bridge—helping Veterans identify what they need, connect with the right resource and continue alongside them when navigating those systems becomes difficult.
The grant will also allow The Center to expand community education and suicide prevention efforts, develop Veteran-focused tools and resources, and increase awareness of available support throughout the four-county region.
A New Chapter for Veteran Support
The Center plans to formally introduce the expanded initiative during its Veterans Day Event & Resource Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at The Great Bend Innovation Center located at 4508 Farmers Plaza Ln, Great Bend, KS 67530.
Veterans and their families are invited to attend for a free lunch, meet The Center’s Veteran team, connect directly with local and regional resources and learn more about the new programs and support being developed through the SSG Fox grant.
The event will also give Veterans another opportunity to help shape what comes next.
“This grant gives us the resources to build something meaningful, but funding alone doesn’t tell us what Veterans in our communities need,” Lockwood said. “We want to continue listening. Our goal is to create support Veterans will actually use, and that means Veterans need to remain at the table as we build it.”
For more information on the event, please visit: www.thecentergb.org/
About The Center for Counseling & Consultation
The Center for Counseling & Consultation is a community behavioral health organization serving individuals and families throughout Central Kansas. Through behavioral health treatment, crisis services, substance use services, community-based programs, prevention, education and partnerships, The Center works to ensure people can access help close to home.
For more information about The Center and its expanding Veteran services, visit www.thecentergb.org or call 620-792-2544.
For more information about the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, visit MentalHealth.VA.gov/ssgfox-
If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.
