After serving our country, veterans face new challenges—including the loss of their military community— when they come home. We invest in four main areas to help veterans rejoin civilian life and their communities: education and employment; physical and mental health; community integration; and housing and supportive services.
Swords to Plowshares: 50 years of vets helping vets
This year, Swords to Plowshares (Swords) celebrates 50 years of serving the Bay Area’s veterans. Swords provides comprehensive support for everything from VA benefits, housing, job retraining, and community. Koret spoke with two Swords ambassadors about the challenges of re-entering civilian life, and the successes of the organization's approach to building trust and developing community.
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Veterans Support
Recent News
S.F. man who changed the way the country treats homeless veterans to step down from Swords to Plowshares
Michael Blecker, a Vietnam war vet, founded Swords to Plowshares to advocate for veterans trying to re-enter civilian life and seek VA benefits. 50 years later, after making a name for himself as one of the most respected veterans advocates in America, he is stepping down as Executive Director.
Swords to Plowshares: 50 years of vets helping vets
This year, Swords to Plowshares (Swords) celebrates 50 years of serving the Bay Area’s veterans. Swords provides comprehensive support for everything from VA benefits, housing, job retraining, and community. Koret spoke with two Swords ambassadors about the challenges of re-entering civilian life, and the successes of the organization’s approach to building trust and developing community.
To better support Bay Area veterans, local nonprofits bridge gaps
“Locally-based nonprofits, when supported by philanthropy, are in a unique position to understand and offer the right support at the right time that could make a crucial difference between [a veteran] regaining stability or remaining on the street.” In this op-ed, Koret’s Ashley Rodwick and Insight Housing’s Calleene Egan explore how private philanthropies and community organizations can help fill gaps in government funding to support veterans.