Groundbreaking and lifesaving work happens all around us, yet, as human beings, we get caught up in our own lives, our own groundbreaking and lifesaving moments, that those of others can be difficult to see. In the same sense, we often forget about those we do not see, those who may be struggling under our noses, those who were once on the top of the world then were dragged down by financial, societal, and bureaucratic forces.
These were just some of the points made between Veterans who are working with the Bravo Foxtrot United Veterans organization. Based out of Bay Shore, Bravo Foxtrot is a non-profit, charitable organization that works to reach and build relationships with Veterans who are living on the streets or in encampments. Through these relationships, they provide these Veterans with basic necessities and items needed for survival like food, clothing, shelter, sanitary items, etc. With each Veteran Bravo Foxtrot encounters, they develop plans to meet the personal and individualistic needs of that Veteran. This could entail referrals to mental health services, Veteran support facilities, financial literacy training, job training, and reconnection efforts towards the person’s family and friends.
Founders of Bravo Foxtrot, Matthew Simoni and Jade Pinto, have been advocating for unhoused and mentally ill Veterans for three years since the organization’s founding in 2021. Simoni served in the military for nearly a decade in Naval Special Forces with top-secret clearance. He fought in three combat deployments, multiple classified missions, ranked E-6, or petty officer first class, and was personally selected and trained to participate in the prestigious Chief of Naval Operations, Priority One Command: Naval Special Warfare Development Group.
Simoni, himself, endured a bout of homelessness after reintegrating with society post-deployment.
“After my discharge in 2016, I myself ended up homeless, divorced from my wife at the time, a stranger to my children, I lost my home, I struggled with mental health, suicidality, self-medicating, just really struggling to stay alive and I was lucky enough to along that path of life to have met the right people,” said Simoni as he conversed with fellow Veterans of the Port Washington VWF Post. “I am now no longer ashamed or embarrassed. I can speak in front of a room of people, and I wear it as a badge of honor because that is what enables me. To be able to reach out to these Veterans and to be able to connect with them and relate to them in a way that they can understand.”
Because of his personal experiences, and background in the military, Simoni can create special and mutually respected relationships with Veterans who are currently living on the streets or in encampments. Using his and Jade’s own financial means, as well as donated items from local stores and supporters, Simoni and his volunteers drive their Bravo Foxtrot bus into wooded areas where they often find these encampments located right here in our towns.
These trips to deliver items are often recorded by the Bravo Foxtrot team and can be watched on their YouTube Channel. A deep dive into what Simoni, Pinto, and their Bravo Foxtrot team do on a daily basis can be watched in their documentary, Long Island’s Forgotten Heroes which was released in October 2022.
“It’s not a simple process,” explains Simoni. “The damage from being outcasted by society and living in that way for a number of years, the longer they stay that way, the harder it is to get out. You spend two years walking into the woods, you’re going to spend two years walking back out.”
The work of Bravo Foxtrot is easier said than done. Many of the Veterans that they meet on a day-to-day basis are not initially trusting nor do many of them want the help the organization offers. The mission of Bravo Foxtrot is not to force their brethren out of homelessness. Instead, it is to build a relationship, a sense of trust, a mutual understanding between fellow veterans, figure out what the individual does want, and then facilitate their successful reintegration back into society, their communities, and their families.
In Bravo Foxtrot’s first three years of operation, they have accumulated 125 case files and successfully reintroduced 25 Veterans back into society.
The organization has resources to help Veterans in many ways that the government system may fall short. They have been approved by the Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance (OTDA) to house 20 or more Veterans in an adult shelter. They provide basic essentials, talk groups, virtual meetings, and consistent advocacy. As many Veterans will attest, the Veteran Affairs (VA) system can also be a tricky and complicated beast to navigate, so Bravo Foxtrot has volunteers who can help navigate the system, and facilitate Veterans in getting the benefits and help they deserve through the VA. Fusco Branstein and Rada law firm is also an official sponsor of Bravo Foxtrot, providing the much-deserved legal aid for Veterans as they reach financial stability in their journey.
“It takes a Veteran with similar experience to truly connect and gain the trust and respect of his comrades,” says Bravo Foxtrot. “We have been successfully bridging the gap between lawyers, political figures, and our respected Veterans, many of whom are struggling in life.”
The future of Bravo Foxtrot is bright, as Matthew and Jade have great ideas and programs on the horizon that will help thousands across Long Island, and hopefully eventually, millions around the county.
“Some of us paid with our lives all at once, but many of us paid with our lives over a lifetime. I’m one of those people. With that, I just want to say God bless our troops and God bless the principles, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that make our great nation free.”
