Heather Young joined the St. Francis House staff in 2015 as a part of Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). A Little Rock native with a father who is a Viet Nam Veteran, she has always wanted to work with Vets. “I remember going to Fort Root with my dad. He has a service-connected disability so he got all his medical care at the VA.”
Ms. Young got her bachelors in Addiction Studies and her Master’s in Health Administration. “My first job was at Methodist Family Health. In my interview, I was asked where I wanted to be in five years and I said I wanted to be working with Veterans. Five years later, almost to the day, I got the job at St. Francis House and I’ve been here ever since.”
Ms. Young started as an SSVF case manager. She became the lead case manager for the Jonesboro office when we expanded in 2021 and is currently the lead case manager for the department. “I provide staff training and support, manage the data systems, as well as carry a caseload. I also cover for the area leads (Jonesborough, Fayetteville, and Little Rock) when they are out.
“I was surprised at how everyone at St. Francis House feels like family, even working between departments. We all support each other. It’s wonderful to be able to help Veterans. I like helping hands-on in any way possible. The toughest part of my job is when we can’t help. For example, I get a lot of calls from Veterans’ widows and we can’t provide services for them; a Veteran has to be in the household. But I try to always be able to refer veterans or families out w to other resources when we can’t meet their needs here.”