Veterans in crisis need immediate, peer-based connection. VALORLink delivers it — modeled on ride-sharing efficiency, synchronized with the VA Crisis Hotline.
When I founded VALOR (Veterans' Alliance for Legislation & Organizational Reform, Inc.), I started with a simple observation: veterans in crisis need to talk to someone who understands. Not a script. Not a hold queue. A fellow veteran who has lived the experience.
The VA Crisis Hotline does essential work. But the system has limitations in capacity and response time that leave gaps — gaps that can be measured in lives. VALORLink was built to complement and synchronize with the VA Crisis Hotline, not to replace it.
The platform works like a ride-sharing service for crisis support. When a veteran reaches out, VALORLink matches them with an available, trained veteran volunteer based on proximity and availability. The volunteer is not a therapist — they are a peer. Someone who speaks the language, understands the culture, and can provide immediate human connection while coordinating with professional services.
Building VALORLink required solving several technical challenges: real-time matching, geolocation services, volunteer availability management, and data encryption to protect vulnerable users. Every volunteer undergoes background checks and training.
This is technology in service of the most vulnerable. That is what technology should be.