Causes: Counseling, Homeless & Housing, Homeless Centers, Hospices, Human Services, Mental Health, Military & Veterans Organizations, Veterans

Mission: Alpha Omega Veteran Services provides social services and short- and long-term transitional housing programs to homeless veterans with the end goals of securing permanent housing, independent living and total societal re-integration.

Results: Since our inception, it has been our pleasure to have served more than 9,000 displaced and/or disabled veterans. Our facilities include a drop-in/outreach center with a 19-bed transitional center, 32 one-bedroom permanent housing apartments, permanent housing in eight townhouses serving 32 veterans, 10 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) permanent housing units for the chronically homeless, and a 15-bed transitional housing facility. We also operate a 1.5 acre urban farm (Alpha Omega Veterans Urban Farm) designed to engage and meet various needs of the veterans that we serve. Not only does our farm provide fresh food for the veterans housed in each of the facilities we operate, the program utilizes therapeutic gardening opportunities, which improves the quality of life for all participants and is especially beneficial to veterans suffering from PTSD. Our Urban Farm offers our veterans volunteer and employment opportunities, as well. Additional on-the-job educational opportunities include animal husbandry (chickens and bees), basic mechanic skills (tractor work) and marketing and public speaking (at local farmer’s markets).

Target demographics: disabled and displaced military veterans

Direct beneficiaries per year: over 300 military veterans.

Geographic areas served: Memphis, Tennessee

Programs: food, clothing, housing, transportation, vocational assistance and rehabilitation assistance that are administered by a staff comprised of over 30 trained professionals