Category: What a Difference a Day Makes
Bastion Community of Resilience

Bastion Community of Resilience

New Orleans, Louisiana
https://www.joinbastion.org

Bastion is the nation's first intentional community for veterans and their families.

Bastion was founded by Dylan Tête, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and a West Point graduate. He transitioned to New Orleans following a year-long deployment to Iraq, just three months before Hurricane Katrina. Having friends who experienced catastrophic or multiple blast injuries resulting in life-altering conditions such as traumatic brain injury, Dylan observed a clear gap in the continuum of care. Health systems, local communities and family units were not equipped to provide the type of instrumental and social support that warriors and their loved ones required to ensure a successful reintegration into society.

Bastion created an opportunity for warriors and families to live and serve in an intentional community designed from the ground up to address the myriad of challenges following polytraumatic injuries.

The Mission

Bastion supports returning warriors and families through their transition from military service and beyond by providing a healing environment within an intentionally designed neighborhood.

The neighborhood consists of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments configured as double-family homes (duplexes) for a total of 58 apartments on a 5.5-acre property. The property also includes a wellness center to increase access to health, education, cultural and wellness activities for residents and other warrior households in metro New Orleans. Bastion is currently leased to 100 percent capacity.

Bastion recently completed phase two, which added homes 39 through 58. Bastion also purchased a little over an acre on the property from the venture partnership with plans to develop phase three.

What would you do with 100 volunteer hours and $5,000?

The $5,000 would go a long way updating  Bastion’s current wellness center to make it a more friendly and usable space, especially for our warriors with PTSD. We are working to install blinds and acoustic panels, as well as an updated entry system. We currently have a $20,000 improvement goal, with a $10,000 budget. It would also be helpful to have volunteers for grounds cleanup, tree planting and labor for our wellness center improvements.