Veteran shares how he overcame homelessness & found hope

Well, what happens when the people who serve our country come home and find themselves in need of a helping hand? Army veteran Robert Mitchell knows that struggle firsthand. After experiencing homelessness and addiction, he turned his life around, and today he's helping other veterans find their way forward. He's also been named U.S. Vets 2026 Veteran Champion. He joins us this morning alongside the president and CEO of U.S. Vets, Daryl J. Vincent, as this year's Make Camo Your Cause campaign kicks off. Gentlemen, Gentlemen, good morning. Thank you for joining us. joining us. Good morning. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. Yeah, Robert, I do want to start with you and I want to start with your story because I know you enlisted at 17 and that coming home was not an easy part for you here. Walk us through some of the hardships you experienced and at what point you realized you needed some help. Well, alcohol became a problem Early for me, and alcohol is what actually led me to homelessness. You know, drinking and drugs and alcohol, and once that got to spiraling out of control, that's when I recognized I did need help. And I know you became actually one of the first veterans through U.S. Vets back in 1993 to get housing. So, Daryl, that's where I want to bring you in as the president and CEO of U.S. Vets. Tell us what your organization does. U.S. Vets is the largest nonprofit serving veterans experiencing homelessness and preventing homelessness in the nation. So for the last 33 years, we've been blessed enough in our over 50 service and residential locations to help veterans that are transitioning out of the military first try to prevent homelessness. But if that occurrence happens, we have a campus where they can come. And Robert was one of the first residents to do that. And make no mistake about it, Robert and the other veterans are coming because they want to come. And they have determination. And this is what happens when determination hits the right support. We're able to support them and facilitate them, whether becoming clean and sober, getting a job, finding a place to live, and really being embraced back by the community. We shouldn't have to wait until a veteran's at their worst to give them our best. We want to prevent it and intervene. Absolutely. And you bring up an excellent point on the determination part of this also. So, Robert, I know, you know, obviously U.S. vets became an important part of your journey. And today you're actually helping other veterans navigate some of the same challenges that you experienced. What does it mean for you to go from someone who needed that help now to someone who kind of gives that hope to others? Well, the part that I love about the work that I do now, based on my own history, I can actually share with a veteran what I went through and how U.S. Vets came in to help me get through it. So I don't, so the veterans themselves don't have to deal with the challenges, some of the challenges that I had to deal with. And that's where I just let them know, U.S. Vets, when you're here, you're at the right place because the resources are here. And the people are here to provide you with whatever you need to actually to community reintegration again. And that's a beautiful thing. I mean, Daryl, we know Robert's story is so powerful. But unfortunately, you know, we hear that a lot of struggles that he experienced aren't necessarily unique. So tell us why Robert was selected as the 2026 Veteran Champion and what his journey represents for your organization. Well, he's totally emblematic of what U.S. vets and when a veteran comes in and what can be done by us facilitating the change that they want to see. The best way to take away someone's dignity is to do for them what they could do for themselves and make no mistake about it. Robert did the work. We facilitated that. He had the desire, the determination and the discipline to want to do that. Not only did he come in experiencing those things, now he is a homeowner. So to go from somebody experiencing homelessness to a homeowner and being able to now give back what was given to you, you can't keep it unless you give it away. And Robert is giving it away to veterans every day to give them the same opportunity to make the same decisions to say, hey, I do not want to be in this situation. What services can I get? And it's our job to make sure we give them access so they can have opportunities so they can make good choices. And Robert is a prime example of what happens when U.S. Vets is working at its best and when a veteran comes in ready to do what they need to do. Our job is to have them believe in us until they can believe in themselves because we want them to be standing on their own and become our partner. And Robert is our partner. Indeed. And Robert, you know, as the face of this year's Make Camo Your Cause campaign, as this is kicking off, tell us how our viewers can help and offer their support. Well, how you can help support U.S. Vets and the mission that we, that to end homelessness among veterans, you can go to usvets.org and make a donation to Make Camo Your Cause. You know, one of the things that I've learned by With CAMO, with veterans, when we see CAMO, there's a connection and there's this kinship that exists. So you can go to usvets.org and donate to make CAMO your cause. And Veterans Day, November 11th, wear CAMO and just donate to the cause of helping eliminate homelessness among veterans. Well, gentlemen, we appreciate both you both and all that you do. Thank you so very much for your time this morning. Thank you. Thank you guys for having me. And Fox is partnering with U.S. Vets for its Make Camo Your Cause campaign to prevent and end America's veteran homeless crisis. If you would like to support, you can scan that QR code right there on your screen to donate or purchase camo gear. And we'll also share this on our website, fox5atlanta.com.