Building the future: psychosocial rehabilitation with a Veterans Construction Team

The Veterans Construction Team (VCT) is an innovative form of Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) for unemployed, homeless veterans who have had a history of substance abuse and/or a serious mental or medical illness. The VCT model builds social support and self-esteem, while delivering tangible services to public entities and providing a relatively high rate of pay and exceptional opportunities for skill development. This brief report outlines the VCT model, reviews VCTs development and operations, and describes participant reactions. Data were collected by interviewing program managers and office staff, field supervisors and VCT participants, as well as through archival data on VCT projects and VA intake data.