Blogs and Articles

In our past two #SocialCareSeries, we explored the formal “Bureaucratic Hurdles” that complicate access to social services and the “Invisible Walls” of stigma and isolation that hinder informal support. However, these barriers do not appear all at once. Researchers at the Northwestern Network for Social Impact (NNSI) have found that, in addition to identifying formal and informal barriers, these barriers appear in a sequential order within the help-seeking pathway. Identifying

In our last #SocialCareSeries, we broke down formal barriers to accessing social services. Bureaucratic hurdles, information gaps, and identity-based discrimination often determine whether individuals can successfully navigate formal support networks such as government programs, social service organizations, and nonprofits. However, even when resources are available, many people struggle to reach out for help, and this hesitation is often less visible. These challenges function as invisible walls, not visible from the

Nearly half of the nation’s veterans are now over age 65 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023). As the veteran population ages, their needs are aging with them. Our first blog in the #VeteransCare Series focused on the challenges that co-occur early on military transition. This second blog explores what co-occurring needs look like for older veterans and why coordinated care becomes even more essential with age. Physical Health, Mental Health, and

Approximately 200,000 Americans leave active duty every year and begin the uneasy transition into civilian life. This shift into a familiar yet vastly different world naturally comes with several challenges, but the bigger problem is that these challenges rarely occur one at a time.  Veterans frequently face overlapping difficulties in work, health, housing, and relationships—what experts call co-occurring needs. For example, an ongoing health condition can make it harder to