Yvette Jones-Swanson has dedicated the past 20 years to ensuring military veterans have a warm place to call home. As an Army veteran who experienced homelessness, Jones-Swanson is committed to preventing others from facing the same struggles. She’s the founder of Vet Mentors as well as a real estate agent, author and passionate advocate for veterans.​ Read her inspiring story.

Yvette Jones-Swanson’s personal experience with veteran homelessness​

Jones-Swanson’s journey into advocacy began with her own harrowing experience. After enduring domestic abuse from her then-husband, an active-duty Marine, she found herself without a home. 

“I was homeless because I was in a marriage of domestic abuse with my then actively serving Marine husband,” she recalled in an interview with News Nation. 

Seeking refuge, she turned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but found limited support.

 “There were no services for me. There was no one to tell me where I could go…tell me how I could leave this abusive marriage. So I was just in my car or at friends’ houses.”​

This lack of resources left her feeling isolated. “Nobody had anything for me to grasp and take control of my own life,” she said. Her personal struggles highlighted the gaps in support systems for veterans, especially women facing domestic violence.​

From homeless veteran to housing advocate: how she helps others

Motivated by her experiences, Jones-Swanson became a real estate agent with a mission. 

“My own life. My own experiences as a homeless veteran without having those resources,” she said, drove her to assist others. 

Upon entering the real estate field, she discovered many veterans facing similar challenges. “I said, ‘There are more?’ I had no idea I wasn’t the only one,” she remarked.​

Recognizing a widespread issue, she chose to focus her efforts on helping veterans secure housing. “It felt like a scab was being pulled off of a life-long sore that I always had to heal again when I came across a homeless veteran,” she explained. 

Through her organization, Vet Mentors, Jones-Swanson has assisted 5,000 veterans in finding homes, turning her personal adversity into a beacon of hope for others.​

Why do so many veterans struggle to find housing after service

In 2024, the United States saw a significant increase in homelessness, with an 18% rise compared to the previous year, totaling over 770,000 individuals. 

Veterans were the only group to see a continued decline in homelessness, with an 8% drop to 32,882 individuals, thanks to sustained funding and targeted efforts from organizations and individuals like Jones-Swanson.

Despite this marginal improvement, challenges remain. Jones-Swanson points out that transitioning from military to civilian life can be difficult. “Resources and connecting to those resources,” she said, are major hurdles. 

While programs like the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) exist, they often lack a housing component. “When veterans get out, they are so used to being in the military, being housed, being fed, going to work every day that when they get home, they don’t know where to go when they don’t have housing,” she explained.​

Jones-Swanson’s work underscores the importance of comprehensive support for veterans, addressing not just employment and healthcare, but also housing. Her dedication serves as a model for how personal experience can drive meaningful change, ensuring that those who have served their country have a place to call home.