LINCOLN — An estimated 60% of Lincoln's population are military veterans, and the Lincoln Veterans' Outpost aims to earn over $1 million in federal grants to provide mental health support and housing to these rural veterans.
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"When a veteran who has gone through something and talks to another veteran who is going through something, it makes it a lot easier transition," said Eric Gool, the president of the Veterans Association of Lincoln.
The Lincoln Veterans' Association has applied for three grants totaling over one million dollars.
The money aims to help them expand support for PTSD, housing, and other services.
While they wait to see if their grant applications have been approved, they are covering costs out of pocket and through donations.
Gool was once a homeless veteran, and that history has inspired him to help others.
"I took the knowledge I learned of processing through that to hand it back to the veterans," said Gool.
Volunteers perform welfare checks, run a food pantry, and oftentimes are just someone to talk to or watch a ball game with.
The mission started just about a year ago.
"What started this actual building here is we had a veteran suicide," Gool said. "How do we stop this from happening peer to peer and not rely on outside agencies?"
All volunteers at the Outpost have been trained in PTSD and suicide prevention.
Through their work with partner agencies, they have already reduced veteran homelessness in the Capital City to under one percent.
"Our mission and goal is to end veteran homelessness in Montana and we want to be the first state in the union that comes up with zero homelessness," noted Gool.
The Outpost also saw another need in the community, a veteran's memorial.
The Blackfoot Valley Historical Society donated the land, and the ground was broken on Memorial Day.
The official ribbon cutting will be held on Veterans Day.
