At a glance
- Category
- Military Transition
- How it's listed
- Found in our own research. Its site was confirmed live and serving the military community on . That is a check that it exists, not a judgement that it is good.
- Website
- www.swords-to-plowshares.org
About Swords to Plowshares
Published by Swords to Plowshares on their own website. Quoted here in full as they wrote it.
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We're a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans as they navigate the challenges of post-military life so that they can achieve health, housing, wellness, and stability.
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Our History
What We Do
Stay Connected
Who We Are
OUR VALUES
Our Mission
War causes wounds and suffering that last beyond the battlefield. Swords to Plowshares' mission is to support veterans as they navigate the challenges of post-military life, and to prevent and end veteran homelessness through wrap-around care and informed advocacy.
Our Vision
All veterans will have access to the care and services they need to achieve health, housing, wellness, and stability.
Our Philosophy
Our model of care is based on the philosophy that the barriers veterans often encounter - including homelessness and instability - are interrelated and require an integrated network of support.
Our History
FOUNDED BY VIETNAM-ERA VETS
Watch how it all began
Fifty years later, the mission continues.
Swords to Plowshares started with a single grant and a small office on Valencia Street. Now over 50 years later with an annual budget of $30+ million, we're still doing the same thing we set out to do - heal the wounds of military service and end veteran homelessness.
Our Timeline
50 years of fighting for veterans
1974 - 1984
1984 - 1994
1994 - 2004
2004 - 2014
2014 - 2024
PRESENT
1974
Remembering Jack McCloskey
Swords is established by six Vietnam veterans concerned with the unmet needs of their peers within the community and VA.
Learn more about our founding leader.
1977
Former VA Secretary, Max Cleland, visits Swords.
1978
Swords became the first organization in 32 years certified by the VA to represent veterans seeking benefits.
1979
Encouraged by Swords' advocacy work, Congress established the VA Veteran Centers, which were directly modeled after Swords' community-based inclusive approach to serving veterans.
1979
Swords wins one of the first PTSD cases in the country.
1980
Swords became a significant player in Agent Orange justice work. Michael Blecker served on the Agent Orange Advisory Board, and Swords attorneys developed the Agent Orange Self-Help Guide, which still helps veterans today access lifesaving health.
1985
10 years after the end of the Vietnam War, "Welcome Home" parades began springing up to honor veterans.
1988
Swords began its first transitional housing program with the purchase of a housing site to operate out of in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.
1990
Michael Blecker and other advocates founded the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV).
Learn more about NCHV.
Watch the video: Swords to Plowshares in the 90s
1990
Stand Downs are organized throughout California, enabling groups like Swords to connect with unhoused veterans and provide a multitude of services in one place with other veterans organizations.
In the news: Stand Down 1993, San Francisco
1995
Our write-up
Swords to Plowshares is in our directory because we went looking for resources in this category and confirmed theirs is real and serving this community. What you see above is their own description, quoted from their site. We have not yet added our own write-up — the programs, eligibility and military fit that we check ourselves — and we would rather leave that blank than guess at it.
In the meantime, their official site is the authority: www.swords-to-plowshares.org
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This page is maintained by MILCONNECT.AI and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authored by Swords to Plowshares. It is a directory entry compiled from community recommendations. We do not rate, rank or endorse anything in this directory, and being listed here is not a recommendation — clinical or otherwise. We are not a medical provider and cannot tell you whether a program is right for you. Check eligibility, cost and current status with the organization directly before you rely on it.