Brighton Marine CEO, Rosye Cloud, Announces Commitment to Citywide Veteran Support with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu

Mayor Michelle Wu and Brighton Marine Announce $1 Million Partnership to Support Boston Veterans

May 29, 2026

Mayor Michelle Wu and Rosye Cloud, CEO of Brighton Marine, announced a new $1 million public-private partnership to support Boston veterans and other communities. As part of this initiative, the City will launch a veterans grant program to provide direct financial support to neighborhood nonprofit organizations. Through this program, veterans will gain access to expanded wraparound services including housing, transportation, health and wellness, and legal assistance. 

Brighton Marine will also host an Office of Veterans Services satellite office on their nine acre campus in Brighton, MA. The office will offer services to veterans and their families to ease access to and streamline navigation of eligible services. 

"In the birthplace of America, we hold ourselves to the highest standards for serving those who have made our freedom and quality of life possible,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “At a time when many veterans and their families are facing uncertainty, Boston is taking every possible step to get them the support they need, when they need it. This partnership with Brighton Marine will take our shared work to the next level, setting a standard for all sectors coming together to care for our veterans and military families.” 

This initiative reflects a continued, close collaboration between the Mayor’s Office and Brighton Marine, focused on ensuring veterans and military-connected families continue to receive consistent support worthy of their service. 

“Brighton Marine will always stand with the City of Boston in supporting our veterans and their loved ones,” said Rosye Cloud, CEO of Brighton Marine. “Our mission is to deliver healthcare, housing, and hope to those who have given so much to our nation. This initiative recognizes the critical contributions of nonprofits to the veteran community in our region.”  

The City of Boston's Veterans' Services will help design and launch the grants program. These funds will advance efforts to eliminate veteran homelessness, address food insecurity, and support economic stability and workforce preparedness. Additionally, the funds will more broadly support recreational activities for the elderly, many of whom are veterans or service-connected family members.  

“As Commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans’ Services and as a veteran myself, I am proud of this partnership with Brighton Marine and grateful for their unwavering commitment to the veteran community, local servicemembers, and their families,” said Robert Santiago, Commissioner of City’s Veterans’ Services Department. “Together, we are investing directly into the organizations and support systems that continue to uplift and care for the veterans of Boston every single day.

“Boston’s veterans and their families have done so much for the residents of our City and we all owe them our gratitude,” said House Majority Leader Michael Moran (D-Brighton). “I want to thank Mayor Wu and Rosye for their unwavering commitment to the veterans community, particularly in Allston Brighton and I applaud their partnership to continue important services even during these challenging fiscal times.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to Brighton Marine for stepping up and partnering with the City to fund our veterans community in these challenging times,” said City Council President Liz Breadon. “As the City Councilor representing Allston-Brighton, I know that Brighton Marine has always been there for those who serve and their families. I also want to thank Mayor Wu, Commissioner Robert Santiago, and my Council colleagues, particularly Councilor Flynn, for their work in this effort. Those who serve our country are owed a debt of gratitude and support; with this funding Boston will continue to repay our veterans for the sacrifices they’ve made.”

“Restoring funding for vets in next year’s budget was a major priority for the City Council,” said City Councilor Benjamin Weber, Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. “ I am grateful for the strong advocacy of my colleagues and the hard work of the Mayor in finding a way to help our vets in need.”

“Boston was built on the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families,” said City Councilor Ed Flynn, U.S. Navy (Retired). “Our Veterans Services Department provides critical assistance on housing, employment and social services for all veterans and military families - including women veterans and veterans of color. Especially in difficult economic times, we must always keep our promise and ensure earned benefits remain in place. It’s about respect for veterans and military families.”

As the City’s Veronica B. Smith Senior Center undergoes a 18 month renovation, Brighton Marine has worked closely with Age Strong to transfer over the center’s programming for older adults to their space during construction. Age Strong will continue to partner with Brighton Marine to provide outreach, health services, and housing support to older adults and veterans in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

“We are incredibly grateful to Brighton Marine for their generosity in opening their doors to the Veronica B. Smith Senior Center community,” said Emily K. Shea, Age Strong Commissioner. “At a time when our beloved community space will undergo much needed renovations, Brighton Marine stepped up to ensure that Allston/Brighton’s older adults won’t lose access to vital resources. This collaboration represents the very best of this neighborhood, one that honors older adults by ensuring they always have safe, welcoming, and vibrant spaces to connect and access the programs and services they need.” 

The partnership showcases the growing role private and nonprofit social enterprises can play as civic partners, working alongside government to respond quickly, responsibly, and collaboratively to emerging community needs. Last week, Mayor Wu also announced a partnership with Dana Farber Cancer Institute to support cancer screenings for firefighters. These efforts reflect the City’s commitment to meeting the needs of our communities and leveraging partnerships to help supplement community-based programming.

Remarks as delivered: 

Good morning, thank you all for joining us today.  With special appreciation for our community leaders, nonprofit partners, and elected officials.  Organizations represented today reflect the strength of the Boston community, all united in our mission to support Veterans and their families.

Mayor Wu, thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and for the care you continue to show to veterans and military-connected families across Boston. Commissioner Santiago, I am grateful for your steady leadership and your unwavering commitment to those who have served.

Coming just days after Memorial Day, this moment carries particular weight.

The holiday is designed to remind us of our history and of the fact that the freedoms we live with each day were secured through extraordinary sacrifice. But remembrance alone is not enough. Our responsibility is to carry that forward—in how we act, how we lead, and how we care for those who continue to bear the legacy of service.

At Brighton Marine, we believe that honoring service means showing up consistently—especially in moments of uncertainty or need. It means ensuring that veterans and their families experience not only gratitude, but stability, dignity, and continuity of care.

That responsibility is shared. It belongs not only to the government but also to community organizations, institutions, and leaders across every sector. And when we come together with clarity of purpose, we can respond in ways that are both immediate and lasting.

Today reflects that kind of partnership.

We are proud to stand alongside the City of Boston in announcing a commitment to support veterans in our community. This is more than a financial investment. It is a clear signal that veterans and their families are seen and valued.

Brighton Marine is built to respond and to deliver for those we serve. We focus on running strong, responsible operations so we can turn our resources into real, measurable impact for veterans and their families.

That commitment extends across our work. Through the US Family Health Plan of New England, we provide high-quality, coordinated care to thousands of Veterans and military families. At the same time, we are deeply engaged in ending veteran homelessness and delivering supportive services that create stability, dignity, and employment pathways.

We are deliberate in how we partner—working alongside leaders and organizations who share both our values and our sense of responsibility.

In closing, I would be remiss not to thank my team and our Board of Directors.  Our people are our values in action. Their disciplined execution enables us to reinvest in our mission and extend our impact through partnerships such as this.  I am so proud to work alongside you every day. Our work matters, and Veterans are counting on us.

Because....

Partnerships like the one we are recognizing today are essential.

They strengthen the systems that support veterans.
They build confidence within the community.
And they demonstrate that honoring service is not symbolic—it is operational.
It is real. It is sustained.

So, to the veterans and families we support, we remain committed to your success. Not just today, and not just in moments of recognition, but every day—in the care we provide, the partnerships we build, and the values we employ.

Mayor Wu, Commissioner Santiago—thank you again for your partnership and your leadership.

We are proud to stand with you in this work.

Thank you.

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About Brighton Marine

Brighton Marine is a nonprofit social enterprise supporting veterans and military connected families through coordinated health care, housing, case management, and wraparound services. As the administrator of the US Family Health Plan (USFHP) of Southern New England, Brighton Marine has served military-connected families for more than four decades. Learn more at www.brightonmarine.org.