CHARLOTTE — Two years ago, U.S. Army veteran Phillip Watley was homeless and living at the Roof Above Men’s Shelter on North Tryon Street in Charlotte.
He was unemployed, had no income and did not receive any veteran’s benefits.
Then he reached out to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and the pieces of his life started to fall into place.
In December 2024, he enrolled in the agency’s Supportive Services for Veterans Families program (SSVF).
“As a veteran sometimes, I did not feel seen or heard by people working with me,” he said. “The team at Catholic Charities listened and took their time understanding my needs and supported me while I made decisions on my next steps in life.”
Launched in 2019, SSVF assists veterans such as Watley and their families in Mecklenburg County who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Through comprehensive case management, workers help veterans access health care, financial assistance, employment and job coaching, and legal aid.
Caseworkers also help veterans navigate the system to access Veterans Administration benefits and additional community support and help with immediate needs such as short-term rent and utilities, moving expenses, childcare costs, apartment application fees and more – all with the goal of finding veterans and their families stable, long-term housing.
In 2025, the program helped 130 veterans in the Charlotte area, according to Tonya Lawrence, who has worked as a SSVF supervisor for several years. Its clients are single men and women as well as families with children. Some of the veterans have been deployed overseas, while others served stateside.
“Many of our clients are literally homeless when they come to us, while others have been couch-surfing or staying in hotels,” Lawrence said.
Some are referred to the agency by the VA, but many are “self-referrals” who find out about the program on their own.
The program has won awards for its work, named “Provider of the Year” in 2021 and 2022 by Veterans Bridge Home, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that helps service members, veterans and their families navigate the transition to civilian life.
Catholic Charities also partners with local parishes to help veterans. On Nov. 7, the Donated Goods Ministry at St. Matthew Parish, which works with the agency, was named 2026 Provider of the Year by Veterans Bridge Home. Through the ministry, volunteers help furnish homes for veterans working with the SVSF program.
On the road to success
Watley’s life was not going well when he made that connection with Catholic Charities in 2024. It had been a long road from his years in the Army, where he served as a field artillery crew member with 13 Bravo Cannon.
It wasn’t his first encounter with the program – he’d previously enrolled in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic but lost contact after moving out of the area.
The second time around, things fell into place.
He connected with a long-term case worker, Latisha Draper-Sessoms, whom he said treated him with respect and dignity.
Catholic Charities helped him complete an application for disability compensation through the Department of Veterans Affairs. He received eligibility and soon began receiving benefits.
Long-term housing came next.
He was approved for a housing voucher in August 2025 and found a landlord willing to accept it. He signed his lease and moved into his new home on Sept. 25 of that year. Furniture and essential household items provided by the agency’s “Making House a Home” program made the new place feel like his own.
“They helped me with furniture and decorating and let me decide on the items I wanted for my home,” Watley said.
In addition, he connected with Building Hope Building Commitment, a veteran-focused supportive services program that provided ongoing support and employment opportunities. He got a job as a Veteran Support Service Worker with Building Hope, Building Commitment, a Charlotte-based nonprofit, allowing him to use his lived experience to support and encourage other veterans facing similar challenges.
“I’m grateful for the assistance I received through SSVF,” Watley said. “It was easy to trust the team and the process.”
To learn more about SSVF, visit https://ccdoc.org/supportive-services-for-veteran-families-ssvf
— Christina Lee Knauss
