Minnesota sober house for veterans with PTSD is turning lives around
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This past summer, Hunter Priest was at the lowest point in his life.
The 34-year old from New Bern, North Carolina, had enlisted in the Army at 18, going into basic training right out of high school. He served four years in the infantry, including combat tours in Afghanistan, and left his military service shaken, and suffering from PTSD. He struggled to adjust to civilian life.
“I was using alcohol to self medicate daily, and was ruining my relationships and friendships and day-to-day life,” Priest said. “My life was unmanageable due to the alcohol and PTSD.”
Priest wanted to get help, but didn’t know where to turn. He had tried residential treatment programs before, but found little support and after-care, and felt he’d been left on his own. Nonetheless, he was considering it again.
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Priest tried applying for about 30 different treatment programs, but the high cost turned him off.
“I don’t have $30,000 to drop for a 30-day program,” Priest said, adding that he felt like he needed better support over the long term than he had before. “It was like… I do this programming, they give me these skills, and they say, ‘Alright, good luck in the world.’ And it’s up to me to be able to continue that on my own without really any other resources.”
Then, in September, Priest discovered Bravo Zulu House through Facebook, and within a day, he was already connected with someone at the sober house specifically for veterans with PTSD. Priest was quickly accepted, booked a plane ticket and the North Carolinian was on his way to Winnebago in rural southern Minnesota.
Priest said he immediately noticed a change in how people treated him at the sober house and in the wider community.
“Getting off of the plane, it was like stepping into a warm, big hug,” he said. “There was complete acceptance from day one. They’re just here to help and provide a support system. And the community acceptance around us has played a major role in that.”
After moving in and starting treatment, Priest rekindled his love for writing poetry. It’s become a key ingredient in his focus on recovery from alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It's been easier for me to write and express myself,” Priest said. “It's easier for me to open up and be honest and share if I'm going through a hard time.”
The house is large and spacious and can house up to 12 residents who each have private bedrooms, with other shared spaces, including an open and airy living room and kitchen. Priest lives with other veterans from around the country who share a unique experience of having served and suffering from PTSD and a substance use disorder. He said those peer-to-peer bonds help him in his recovery.
“We sit down and watch football on Sundays,” Priest said. “Even that turns into an AA meeting in and of itself every time, because we end up sharing what we’re going through and having the support system in the house with us.”
While focusing on his recovery, residents are expected to pay a modest rent, and hold a job or volunteer in the community. Having a culinary background, Priest now works as a chef at The Amboy Cottage Cafe in the small, nearby town of Amboy which he often bikes to and from Bravo Zulu House.
Lisa Lindberg is the cafe owner, and built a friendship with Priest over their shared love of food.
“I see his enthusiasm, he comes to work early, he stays late. He’s full of ideas,” Lindberg said. “And I think it’s been a great fit for us.”
Priest said he was welcomed into Amboy with open arms by customers, which he said means a lot to him.
Building hope
Soon, Bravo Zulu will break ground on a women’s veterans home in Mankato this spring, with plans to accept residents into the sober house sometime in 2027. Tim Murray, executive director of Bravo Zulu, said the peer-to-peer support model of veterans connecting with others who have similar lived experiences is life-changing.
“The dullness in a lot of these men’s eyes is gone,” Murray said. “There’s a light and an energy and a spark that a lot of them haven’t had for decades. So, it’s really rewarding to see that what we had hoped was going to happen, and what we have seen happen in our civilian sober houses, is now happening with these veterans.”
A survey of military veterans by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs found that veterans diagnosed with both mental health disorders like PTSD, and substance use disorders had higher rates of suicidal ideation.
There are more than 286,000 veterans in Minnesota, according to the state Department of Veterans Affairs.
Kristi Stites is the department’s Veteran Suicide Prevention Coordinator. She said about 100 veterans die by suicide each year in Minnesota, and places like Bravo Zulu are critical to reducing those numbers and helping veterans with PTSD and addiction turn their lives around.
“Having that transitional care and support by peers and others in having safe, stable housing, and combating insecurity and all of the factors that alleviate some financial stress,” Stites said. “All those things are protective factors that can help someone walk through and transition out of those kinds of situations.”
Soon, Bravo Zulu expects to welcome three more residents into the house in coming weeks.
And for Hunter Priest, he said his stay at Bravo Zulu is helping him solidify his recovery and give him hope for a better life ahead.
“I don’t look at the future anymore as something I don’t want to experience,” Priest said. “I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and get out there, and do it all over again. …I don’t feel so alone anymore.”
