Brighton Marine Inc. to Announce Historic Investment To End Veteran Homelessness in New England at Re-Dedication of Derrick Hassell Veterans Living Community in Honor of Longtime Employee

Operator of US Family Health Plan of Southern New England to announce long-term financial investment in programs and strategies to support Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Massachusetts and into New England.

On Wednesday Brighton Marine will honor Derrick Hassell, an exemplar of 47 years, who embodies the organization’s commitment to Veterans, their families, and the Brighton community by renaming its first Veterans’ housing facility in his honor. At the event, Brighton Marine CEO Rosye B, Cloud will also announce the organization’s commitment to long term programs and services that meet the needs of Veterans experiencing housing insecurity and address the root causes of homelessness. Cloud will be joined by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu, Medal of Honor Recipient Ryan Pitts, and other dignitaries (including leaders from the Department of Veterans Affairs) for the announcement.

WHAT: Dedication of Brighton Marine Building #9 as the “Derrick Hassell Veterans Living Community”

WHERE: Brighton Marine Campus, 77 Warren Street, Brighton, MA 02135

WHEN: Wednesday, May 7, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

• Arrival and press sign-in: 10:30 – 11:00 am
• Program and unveiling ceremony: 11:10 am – 12:20 pm
• Media Availability: Immediately following unveiling ceremony
• Community Lunch: 12:20 pm

WHO: Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu and other dignitaries will join Brighton Marine CEO Rosye Cloud in honoring longtime employee Derrick Hassell’s 47+ years of service to Veterans and the Brighton community. Other speakers and attendees will include:

• Secretary Jon Santiago, Executive Office of Veterans Services, MA
• Leader Michael Moran, Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Representative Kevin Honan, Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts (U.S. Army, Ret.), Medal of Honor Recipient
• Former Congressman Frank Guinta (NH), U.S. House of Representatives
• Former Governor Bill Weld, Massachusetts
• Chair Joseph McGonagle, Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Representative Jeffrey Turco, Massachusetts House of Representatives

Veteran residents of the Brighton Marine community who have benefitted from housing assistance and healthcare services available on the campus will be in attendance as well.

MEDIA LOGISTICS: Media should arrive no later than 11:00 am. Cameras welcome. A mult box will be available to capture event audio. Wireless microphones may also be placed on the podium no later than 11:05 am.

More About Brighton Marine

Brighton Marine was founded in 1983 in Brighton, MA. when the federal government decided to close many hospitals within the public hospital system, including the Brighton Marine hospital, which provided vital healthcare needs to local veterans. The organization, which eventually became Brighton Marine, was then called the Allston-Brighton Aid and Health Group.

Today, Brighton Marine continues through its core programs and services:

• Healthcare: Brighton Marine operates the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan of Southern New England, which serves more than 13,000 Veterans and active-duty military families.
• Housing: Brighton Marine campus provides affordable housing on campus through The Residences, a six-story multi-family housing complex built in 2020 with more than 100 units of affordable housing with preference to Veterans and their families and the newly re-named Derrick Hassell Veterans Living community. In 2025 it will also launch a master leasing initiative in Massachusetts.
• Financial Support: Brighton Marine’s Empowerment Fund was endowed in 2015 to help Veterans with costs associated with obtaining housing such as providing security deposits, clearing past utility debt, and covering application and broker fees that are often not covered by programs like the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.

More information can be found at brightonmarine.org.

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