Wilson, the managing director for the Veterans Services of the Carolinas — an arm of Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry — oversees a litany of veterans initiatives across North Carolina. Since Wilson calls Haywood home, he has leveraged Haywood at the front of the line when there’s a new trial program that needs testing.
“We’ve contributed to lessons learned — what works and what doesn’t work,” Wilson said.
In other scenarios, Wilson has collaborated with local partners to launch grassroots initiatives from the ground up, which have then gone on to be adopted as national policy or spun off into new programs.
“Initiatives sown in Haywood County have sparked a new approach,” Wilson said.
In every case, Wilson credits the camaraderie among Haywood’s nonprofits, faith community, social services agencies and law enforcement for proving that nothing’s impossible when a community works together.
Giving veterans HOPE
It’s no secret that veterans are at a higher risk for mental health and substance abuse issues — whether they’re just re-entering society or carrying baggage from combat decades ago. As a veteran himself, Wilson understands what that feeling is like.
“We were part of something bigger than ourselves — having one mission and working together for a greater good,” said Wilson. “When they come home, they experience isolation, they may become depressed, angry or bitter, and may turn to substance abuse.”
So when the state offered seed money of $260,000 to address mental health and substance use among homeless veterans, Wilson jumped at it.
The result was a pilot program called Healing Outreach Partnerships for Empowerment, or HOPE. The premise taps veterans to work peer-to-peer, one-on-one, with fellow veterans while conducting extensive outreach.