Veterans Help on the Homefront
Aired May 26, 2pm - Watch it now On Demand

This new documentary focuses on the work of Oakland County Judge Brian MacKenzie who provides veterans' with assistance through his court. The statistics are staggering if not downright shameful – the highest suicide levels in the military in ten years, with deaths from suicide outweighing combat deaths by a two-to-one ratio. The first six months of 2012 saw an average of one military suicide each day (154 suicides in the first 155 days).

"Addiction is a health issue. If you think of it just as a criminal justice thing, which we've done far too long, you end up with a lot of people in prison and you don't solve their problem. But if you think of it as a health issue, where you make them deal with the thing, then what you get is success," reported Judge MacKensie. He not only knows these stats by heart, many of them have gone through his courtroom. In this one-hour documentary, Detroit Public TV follows Judge MacKenzie and three veterans' cases as they work their way in and out of the Veterans Court program to get a handle on their addiction and mental health issues in order to redirect their lives.

The program is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan and the Knight Foundation.

Download a list of Veterans Courts in Michigan.

  Watch all the Stories | Veterans Resources

Veterans Resources

Download a list of Veterans Courts in Michigan.

American Red Cross
www.semredcross.org/deployment-and-veteran-tips
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Family Support

American Veterans
www.amvets.org
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Brain Injury Association of Michigan
www.biami.org
Areas of Expertise: Detroit Area Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Mental Health Resources

Disabled American Veterans Department of Michigan
www.davmembersportal.org/mi/default.aspx
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources

Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces
https://www.employerpartnership.org/
Areas of Expertise: Employment Resources

Families and Work Institute
familiesandwork.org/
Areas of Expertise: Family Support

Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan
www.goodwillnmi.org/HomelessAndHousing/?fuseaction=articleset&contentsetid=5579
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services

Great Lakes Capital Fund - Silver Star
www.capfund.net/index.php/Featured-Development/featured-development.html
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services

Joining Forces Michigan
www.joiningforcesmichigan.org/resources.php
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Julie's List
julieslist.homestead.com/VeteranResources.html
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Livingston County Veterans Affairs
http://co.livingston.mi.us/veterans/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Employment Resources, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Macomb County Veterans Services
www.macombcountymi.gov/veterans/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Make the Connection (US Dept of Veterans Affairs)
maketheconnection.net/events/homelessness?gclid=CI3Cu_apzrICFcVFMgod53AAZw
Areas of Expertise: Homelessness, Mental Health Resources

Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals (MADCP)
www.madcp.dreamhosters.com
Areas of Expertise: Michigan Drug Courts, Veterans Courts, education for Drug Courts and Judges

Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America
www.michiganpva.org/about-mpva/programs
Areas of Expertise: Benefits

Michigan Veterans Foundation
www.michiganveteransfoundation.org/
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services

Michigan.gov Workforce Programs
www.michigan.gov/mdcd/0,1607,7-122-1679_1818_58433-255504--,00.html
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services

Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness
www.thecampaigntoendhomelessness.org
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services

Military Benefits
www.militarybenefits.com/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits

Mspan - Military Support Programs and Networks
m-span.org/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Mental Health Resources, Family Support, Peer Support

National Resource Directory
http://www.oakgov.com/veterans/Pages/default.aspx
Areas of Expertise: Family Support, Housing Services

Oakland County Veterans' Services
www.mitalent.org/veteran/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits

Pure Michigan Talent Connect
www.mitalent.org/veteran/
Areas of Expertise: Employment Resources

Service Women's Action Network
servicewomen.org/
Areas of Expertise: Female Veterans Support

Sesame Street for Military Families
http://familiesnearandfar.org

View the App Android or iPhone
Areas of Expertise: Family Support

Southwest Housing Solutions- Piquette Square for Veterans
www.swsol.org/piquette_square
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services, Detroit Area Resources

The American Legion
www.legion.org/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Employment Resources

The American Legion Department of Michigan
michiganlegion.org/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

The Military Order of the Purple Heart
www.purpleheart.org/
Areas of Expertise: Family Support, Mental Health Resources, Peer Support

University of Michigan Depression Center
www.depressioncenter.org/education-outreach/programs/military/
Areas of Expertise: Family Support, Mental Health Resources

US Department of Veterans Affairs
www.womenshealth.va.gov/WOMENSHEALTH/toolkits.asp
Areas of Expertise: Female Veterans Support

US Department of Veterans Affairs
www.va.gov
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources
VA Facilities in Michigan

US Dept of Labor
www.dol.gov/vets/programs/hvrp/hvrp-bp.htm
Areas of Expertise: Housing Services, Detroit Area Resources

Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System
www.annarbor.va.gov
Areas of Expertise: Health Care and Rehabilitation, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans, Mental Health, Palliative Care, Pharmacy, Research, Social Work, Veterans Justice Outreach

Veteran's Haven, Inc
www.vetshaveninfo.org/haven.htm
Areas of Expertise: Employment Resources, Family Services, Mental Health Resources

Veterans Crisis Line
www.veteranscrisisline.net/
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

VFW
https://www.vfw.org/ Find a Post
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Vets4Warriors
www.vets4warriors.com/
Areas of Expertise: Peer Support

Vietnam Veterans of America
http://www.vva.org/chapters.html
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

Volunteers of America- Michigan
www.voami.org/Services/Veterans-Programs
Areas of Expertise: Benefits, Detroit Area Resources, Employment Resources, Female Veterans Support, Family Support, Housing Services, Mental Health Resources

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Veterans programming sponsored by: