VERO BEACH — United Way of Indian River County launched Mission United on Oct. 1, taking over services the Veterans Council of Indian River County has provided for more than 40 years.
Indian River County is home to about 16,000 veterans, roughly 11% of the county’s adults and a higher share than the state and national averages, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. About 26% of them live in poverty or earn too little to cover housing, food, transportation, and health care, according to United For ALICE.
The Veterans Council, started in 1975, has given veterans rides to medical appointments and direct financial help, and has assisted with housing, jobs, and education. Each year, the council provided more than 1,200 rides and $121,000 in direct financial assistance, fielded 450 documented calls, and managed more than 117 veteran cases.
Mission United is meant to continue that work by pairing the council’s contacts with United Way’s countywide partner network.
“It’s difficult to express in words the amount of gratitude I feel for the assistance, relief, and personability the Veterans Council provided for my family and me,” said Clayton P. Kettle, a retired Army sergeant first class. “They helped provide a sense of security and introduced me to a trove of resources that I was unaware of.”
Veterans already getting rides or case management do not need to reapply. Those services moved from the Veterans Council to Mission United. They can still call 772-410-5820.
Transportation under a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contract is expected to continue with the same drivers, vehicles, and routes.
“For more than 40 years, the Veterans Council has been there for the veterans of Indian River County, and our board brought this idea to United Way because we wanted to be sure that work would not only continue, but grow,” said Dr. Michael Fortunato, chairman of the Veterans Council and a Navy veteran. “Mission United will give our veterans the strength of a countywide network, and the people and relationships they’ve come to count on will still be there for them.”
The handoff followed a year of talks that started in October 2025, when council leaders asked United Way about a way to keep the work going. The two groups worked through legal, financial, and staffing details. Both boards approved a plan to finish the transition Oct. 1.
Fortunato joins the United Way board. Current Veterans Council board members will sit on the Mission United Advisory Council with representatives from local veteran service organizations. Under a gift agreement, assets moved from the council to United Way are restricted to Mission United and its services for local veterans.
“This mission is personal for me. My husband is a veteran, and our family knows what it means to have a community that shows up for the people who served,” said Meredith Egan, chief executive officer of United Way of Indian River County. “Mission United gives veterans one place to start and a whole network behind them, so no one falls through the cracks because they didn’t know where to turn.”
Egan said Mission United is set up to work with the VA and local veteran groups, not replace them. She said it is also meant to tighten referrals with Habitat for Humanity, the Visiting Nurse Association, the Mental Health Collaborative, the Senior Resource Association and the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council, so a veteran who asks for help at one place can be sent to other services.
Mission United started in Broward County in 2013. United Way Worldwide later adopted it as a national model and a single entry point for veterans and their families. Locally, it joins United Way of Indian River County’s other direct programs: Access to Justice; the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which offers free tax preparation; and ANCHOR, the county’s long-term disaster recovery group.
“It means a lot to know that there are people and organizations here in Indian River County who continue looking out for Veterans after our military service is over,” Kettle said. “Knowing that the Veterans Council’s services will continue through Mission United and United Way gives me confidence that Veterans and their families will continue to have somewhere to turn when they need that hand.”
Information is available at unitedwayirc.org/mission-united or by calling 772-410-5820.