Brighton Marine Inc. Announces $10 Million Investment to Help Prevent and End Veteran Homelessness
PRESS RELEASE
May 7, 2025
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Elizabeth@foxglove-stratcomm.com
Brighton Marine Inc. Announces $10 Million Investment to Help Prevent and End Veteran Homelessness
BRIGHTON, MA (May 7, 2025) – Today Brighton Marine, a nonprofit operating the US Family Health Plan of Southern New England, a Tricare Prime health plan, in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, announced its intention to expand its existing housing and programming services by investing $10 million over the next five years in programs to prevent and end Veteran homelessness.
The announcement was made by Brighton Marine CEO Rosye B. Cloud at an event honoring longtime employee Derrick Hassell, who has served Brighton’s Veterans and the broader community for over 47 years, by renaming its first Veterans Housing Building in his honor.
“Today, we honor an employee that embodies our values and demonstrates care and dignity to every resident and health plan beneficiary we serve,” said Cloud. “The resources we will invest over the next five years will help prevent housing insecurity and address the immediate needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness.”
The commitment is part of Brighton Marine’s Vision 2030 initiative, which was originally announced at the 2024 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference. The funds will be used to support:
● Brighton Marine’s master leasing program in Massachusetts, which makes affordable housing more accessible to Veterans and their families who might not qualify for other housing programs.
● Emergency assistance through Brighton Marine’s Empowerment Fund, which provides emergency funding to help prevent eviction or financial distress that could lead to homelessness.
● The establishment of a prevention hub in Washington, D.C. to serve as an incubator for innovative programs and ideas that can help address Veteran homelessness and housing insecurity nationwide.
"No veteran should ever be without a safe, stable place to call home or the services that they need,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who also spoke at the event. “That's why in Massachusetts, we have prioritized ending Veteran homelessness for good and expanding resources and services for our heroes. Organizations like Brighton Marine are critical partners in this work, and we thank them for their investment to create this beautiful campus that will provide essential housing, health care and other services for local veterans."
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, as of December 2024 there were 550 Veterans experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. Homelessness can cause a myriad of health concerns, ranging from a lack of access to basic hygiene and increased risk of contracting infectious disease to more profound barriers to accessing vital health care and other services.
"Brighton Marine has long understood that housing is health care,” said Massachusetts Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. “This bold investment, made possible through the US Family Health Plan, reflects a deep commitment to meeting veterans where they are—with flexible, innovative solutions that address both immediate needs and long-term stability. It’s exactly the kind of partnership that aligns with our End Veteran Homelessness campaign and our broader goal of making veteran homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring."
Supported by its innovative social enterprise business model, Brighton Marine is investing in prevention programs and resources that stop homelessness before it starts and improves long term health outcomes for Veterans. They partner with the federal government, state and local leaders, and other community organizations to further their mission to provide healthcare, housing and hope to Veterans and their families.
More About Brighton Marine
Brighton Marine was founded in 1983 in Brighton, MA. when the federal government decided to close many hospitals within the public hospital system, including the Brighton Marine hospital, which provided vital healthcare needs to local veterans. The organization, which eventually became Brighton Marine, was then called the Allston-Brighton Aid and Health Group.
Today, Brighton Marine continues through its core programs and services:
● Healthcare: Brighton Marine operates the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan of Southern New England and its Brighton campus is home to 10 community health organizations which collectively serve over 15,000 Veterans, active-duty service members and their families.
● Housing: Brighton Marine campus provides affordable housing on campus through The Residences, a six-story multi-family housing complex built in 2020 with more than 100 units of affordable housing with preference to Veterans and their families and the newly re-named Derrick Hassell Veterans Living community. In 2025 it will also launch a master leasing initiative in Massachusetts.
● Financial Support: Brighton Marine’s Empowerment Fund was endowed in 2015 to help Veterans with costs associated with obtaining housing such as providing security deposits, clearing past utility debt, and covering application and broker fees that are often not covered by programs like the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.
