(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(PEWAUKEE, Wis.) A new veteran-run facility designed to help other military vets recently opened in Pewaukee, according to Spectrum News 1.
The R&R House is available for any veteran in Wisconsin dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues and is run by Mental Health America of Wisconsin with funds from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, according to a WDHS news release.
"The R&R House offers a unique space for veterans to connect with other veterans in an environment that supports their recovery,” said Brian Michel, program director of the R&R House and director of prevention services at Mental Health America of Wisconsin. “Whether staying with us overnight or talking with us on the phone, the R&R House encourages veterans to become active in their recovery, develop stronger coping skills and to cultivate the confidence to reengage with the community they swore an oath to protect."
Veteran peer-run respite project coordinator Victor Kilpatrick said the facility could become a "blueprint" for how a home like this could work. “We are the trendsetters and there is no better feeling than that,” he said.
House manager Peter Borucki touted the benefits of having veterans run the home, suggesting they can intuitively connect with veteran residents in a way non-veterans cannot.
“A lot of veterans must don’t know who to talk to,” Borucki said. “There are a lot of things that they may have done in the military or experience that they just don’t know how to explain it to civilians and there is nothing like talking to another vet.”
According to Spectrum, the home hasn't been able to take in any veterans yet due to COVID-19 but plans to accept its first two veterans in the coming weeks.