Members of the military live by the honorable code of leaving no one behind.
So do the residents of Bastion Community of Resilience, a nonprofit, 58-unit housing complex for injured veterans and their families in New Orleans.
Truly, this is more than a housing complex. It’s a community. A real community – where people know what their neighbors are going through – and they are right there with them, both in person and in spirit.
Consider the picnic area shaded by a towering live oak, and the front porches where people sit up talking into the wee hours of the morning.
Healing is happening here.
Specifically – healing from combat wounds, PTSD, and the challenges of returning to civilian life.
“The primary source of recovery and support for our veterans here, is their neighbors,” explained Jackson Smith, executive director of Bastion, who stressed the benefit of daily interactions with people facing similar challenges. “That is the secret sauce here.”
Another factor in Bastion’s success is its Headway workforce training program that prepares brain-injured veterans for gainful employment. The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit initiative funded primarily by Regions Bank, provided Bastion with a $50,000 grant for Headway.
“Bastion is here for men and women who answered the call to serve. In turn, the Foundation is here to offer our support,” said Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation. “While no American can fully repay our veterans for all they have given to our country, supporting programs like Bastion can make a difference.”
Regions Bank also supports Bastion’s efforts. At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic before vaccinations were available, the bank contributed $15,000 to sponsor an online virtual wellness program that allowed Bastion to provide telehealth services to more than 219 individuals. It’s part of the bank’s year-round support of veterans across its 15-state footprint.
“Many of those served by Bastion left a part of themselves behind on the battlefield physically and mentally to ensure our freedom and way of life,” said Steve Beres, service members and veterans outreach manager for Regions Bank – and a wounded warrior himself. “When these heroes return home with the lingering effects of injury, it is our duty as Americans to ensure we help them transition into our communities. The support Bastion provides is vitally important.”
More progress will be made soon. Bastion currently serves 200 New Orleans-area veterans and families through Headway and other services out of a small, modular building on its campus. The group will soon break ground on a new 14,000-square foot wellness center that will open in 2024 and increase services to more than 700 people per year. It will be built around that live oak.
