Employee Spotlight
February 11, 2025
Sheila Millan
HUD-VASH Social Worker, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System
In the spirit of service and sacrifice, many Veterans have not only answered the call to protect our country but have also dedicated their lives to supporting their fellow service members in need. This blog series highlights the inspiring stories of Veterans who have gone on to serve other Veterans through VA’s homeless programs, using their own experiences to create pathways to stability, dignity, and hope for others.
Q: What branch did you serve in?
A: I’m currently serving in the Florida Army National Guard.
Q: Why were you interested in serving in the military?
A: My dad served 23 years in the Air Force before he retired, so I grew up an Air Force brat. I think I always wanted to join, but I got into college and then life got in the way, and I just never did it.
Then, sort of randomly, I found out that the Army was recruiting social workers and psychologists. I was already 15 years into my social work career, but I thought I’d turn in some paperwork and see what happened. I didn't really think anything would come of it, but eventually they gave me a direct commission in 2008. I came in as a first lieutenant. I’m a behavioral health officer.
Q: Can you tell us about your service?
A: I have deployed a couple of times. From 2008 to 2009, I was stationed at Camp Liberty in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Then, I did eight months in Germany in 2022 at the start of the Ukraine War. Our mission was training Ukrainians on the weapons systems we were giving to them. I also provided behavioral health services for our soldiers and offered therapy sessions to the Ukrainians.
I had one kid—I say kid, but he was about 26—who literally came to see me every single night the week that he was there. It was a really tough experience for him, for me, and for the translator. We had intense two-hour therapy sessions every night, and in the end, I think he got something out of it. I feel it was valuable, and some good work was being done.
The therapy was very trauma focused. He was experiencing all kinds of traumas on a daily basis, and there was a lot of childhood trauma as well, so it was just layers upon layers of trauma. Since I only had him for this one week, I didn’t want to unpack too much but wanted to provide some support that he could take back with him, and some skills that he could use to help manage everything he was experiencing on the frontlines.
When he left, he gave me a patch from his unit, which I will always keep. I couldn’t bring myself to try to stay in contact, so to this day, I don't know if he's still alive or not.
Q: Changing gears, what inspired you to join VA’s homeless programs?
A: I have a Christian background, so I believe that things are brought into my life for a purpose. It was the right fit and the right opportunity at the right time. If I had to sit in an office and have people come in for 50—minute therapy sessions, write my notes in 10 minutes, then see the next person, I think I would lose my mind. Being able to do different things every single day is a good fit for me.
Q: What does it take to be successful in this job?
A: It takes a specific type of person to work with homeless Veterans effectively and compassionately. You need flexibility, creativity, an ability to think outside the box, and internal resilience.
Yesterday was a perfect example of how you need to be able to shift gears. I have a Veteran on my caseload who has a new cancer diagnosis. I sat with him at his first chemotherapy session—supporting him, talking to him about his diagnosis, and dealing with the nurses and authorizations. That was a really heavy visit. But an hour later, I was at a Veteran’s house literally hopping up on the bed and over the table to get his three feral cats in crates to take them to get fixed.
It’s a job that requires very, very different techniques. From something as heavy as cancer to laughing as I’m trying to catch these three cats, jumping all over his furniture, and he’s in his scooter chair trying to use one of those little grabber sticks to catch a cat.
It's not in my job description to get cats in crates. But it's what needed to be done because this guy can barely afford to feed the cats that are already there. I can’t just say, "That's not my job." If I can help, I will try to help.
When I told my husband about it, he said, "Social workers really do all kinds of stuff." But I like it. It’s good for me.
Q: How does your role as a HUD-VASH social worker who helps Veterans stay housed support the broader mission to end Veteran homelessness?
A: Once they’re housed, that’s when I come in—and to me, that’s when the work really begins with all the wraparound services we offer.
How are they going to learn to live independently without people there to support them and remind them of what needs to get done? We remind them to pay rent by the third of the month so they don’t have an extra late fee or pay their utility bill so the company doesn’t shut their lights off.
The wraparound support helps end homelessness because it addresses the reasons why Veterans became homeless in the first place. We can help them figure that out and work through those issues. Then, they have a better chance of not ending up homeless again. I’m not successful all the time. I have people that fall out of housing, but I sure try.
Q: Do you have a message for the Veterans who are still waiting to be housed?
A: In the Army, we have our Soldier’s Creed, and part of that is never to leave a fallen comrade. That Soldier’s Creed is near and dear to my heart. There are lots of Veterans at VA who want to fulfill that mission and live by the creeds we learned in the service.
If you are struggling, you don’t have to go it alone. Come in and give us a chance to pick you up and help you get to a place where you can proceed and be successful in your life. Let us see what we can do to support you and get you back to a place where you're more self—sufficient.
