Manchester, NH— When Denise, a highly decorated United States Coast Guard Veteran, entered treatment in early 2024, she believed she had lost everything that mattered most, her health, her home, and her relationship with her children.
Living with the lasting effects of severe service-related trauma and a 100% service-connected disability, Denise had spent years trying to survive the invisible wounds of military service. Like many Veterans, she turned to substances to numb the pain. The cost was devastating, financial collapse, housing instability, and years of estrangement from her children.
“I didn’t think my life could look any different than it did then,” Denise later shared. “I couldn’t imagine a future.”
In March 2024, while enrolled in a partial hospitalization program following a VA inpatient stay, Denise was referred to Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals New Hampshire. At the time, she was facing recovery with little support and no clear path forward.
Over the next year, Denise worked side-by-side with her Veterans Count Care Coordinator to rebuild every part of her life, one step at a time.
With steady guidance and advocacy from her Veterans Count Care Coordinator, she secured permanent housing, re-entered the workforce, and began full-time employment at a human services organization. There, her leadership and resilience quickly stood out, leading to multiple promotions in less than a year.
Just as critical was her commitment to healing. Denise established consistent medical and mental health care, built healthy routines, and remained engaged in long-term recovery, laying a foundation she had never believed possible.
But the most meaningful transformation came at home.
After years of separation, Denise began rebuilding relationships with her children. On her 50th birthday, she celebrated a moment she once thought she would never see, all of her children gathered by her side.
“I could never have imagined that when we first met,” she told her Veterans Count Care Coordinator.
Eighteen months after first connecting with Veterans Count, Denise remains in recovery, permanently housed, steadily employed, and actively working with a financial counselor to build long-term stability.
Her story is one of resilience, but also of what becomes possible when Veterans receive the right support at the right time.
Since its founding, Veterans Count has served 9,911 Veterans, service members, and their families, protected 2,305 at-risk families from homelessness, helped 3,159 individuals engage in treatment for previously unaddressed mental health or adjustment challenges, and supported 1,566 participants in securing employment. Every number represents someone who gained stability, hope, and a path forward.
If you are a New Hampshire service member, Veteran, or family member in need of assistance or referrals, Veterans Count Program Coordinators are there to help. Contact them at 603.315.4354 or visit vetscount.org.
About Veterans Count
Easterseals New Hampshire’s Veterans Count was founded in 2007 to provide case management and emergency financial assistance to meet the unexpected needs of service members, Veterans, and their families. Veterans Count provides critical and timely financial assistance and services when no other resource is available. Emergency financial assistance may include rental assistance, gas, food, or utility payments. Last year alone, the program served more than 1,660 Veterans, assisting them in accessing eligible benefits and services, housing, counseling services, and other needs, including emergency financial assistance, to build sustainable, secure, and viable futures. Our commitment is to ensure the dignity, health, and overall well-being of each service member, Veteran, and their families.
For more information, visit vetscount.org