Alexandria veterans to benefit from $1.5 million in federal mental health funding
Two grants support suicide prevention efforts in Northern Virginia
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $4.5 million in federal grants to support suicide prevention efforts for veterans in Virginia, including two grants totaling $1.5 million designated to serve Alexandria and other Northern Virginia communities.
Rockville, Maryland-based EveryMind will receive $750,000 to serve Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park, as well as Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties. The nonprofit provides mental health services, including crisis support through the 988 Lifeline, counseling and mentorship, case management for veterans and military families, and mental health education.
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas, based in Lanham, Maryland, will receive $750,000 to serve Alexandria and numerous other Virginia communities. The organization provides health and human services to vulnerable individuals and families across Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the Carolinas.
The funding is made possible by the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, created through bipartisan legislation Warner wrote and Kaine helped pass into law. The program supports community-based initiatives that connect veterans and their families to outreach programs, prevention services, and resources.
“Too many veterans silently suffer with their mental health when their tours of duty conclude,” Warner said. “It is our responsibility as lawmakers to make sure that those who have served and sacrificed for our country have the support and resources they deserve.”
“Our nation makes a sacred promise to the men and women who serve: that when they come home, they’ll have the support and opportunities they need and deserve,” Kaine said.
The grant program was created through the IMPROVE Wellbeing for Veterans Act, legislation led by Warner in 2019. It was signed into law as part of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate in August 2020.
In February 2025, Warner introduced bipartisan legislation to renew and expand the program.
Veterans or anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.