Aging in Dignity

74-year-old Dawn has lived at Jon W. Paulson Veterans Community, our housing site in the Presidio National Park, for almost 20 years. Along with her chihuahua mix Mijo, she says, "I am always surrounded by a team here."

Dawn served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years and struggled with a sharp, isolating transition to civilian life. For most of her military career, Dawn was a drugs & alcohol counselor of servicemembers. "I retained my own PTSD from serving those individuals. I was good at my job, I listened and served them well, but my experiences caught up to me. This was during and immediately after Vietnam." Diagnosed with PTSD and depression, Dawn felt an acute sense of loneliness in civilian life. She also struggled to find stable housing when she got out and eventually she moved to the Bay Area in the 1990's to live with her sister, which was not a sustainable choice. When visiting the San Francisco VA for a health appointment, they encouraged her to look into housing options with Swords to Plowshares.

Connecting with Swords not just gave Dawn a roof over her head - she also gained a community she has relied on regularly. Dawn lives with health conditions that impact her mobility, and she remarks that the support staff and living in veteran-specific housing allow her to feel a sense of safety. "If I was alone, I'd be struggling - I'd be worse off. Here I have people looking out for me, they'll call my doctor if I can't, they'll bring food up to my apartment if I'm sick. This place keeps me going."

Dawn represents many of the veterans aging in place with Swords to Plowshares. These veterans deserve services that understand their needs as aging individuals with military backgrounds. We are proud to support them with services that help senior veterans maintain their independence and address their social needs.

Read more about the work we do in partnership with the California Department of Veterans Affairs to support California's aging veterans in permanent supportive housing here: https://ow.ly/jSL650VLGzU