Podcast Title:
Tha Motiv8tors Table
Host:
Dr. JayR McIntyre
Summary:
Yvette Jones-Swanson, M.A., SDVOSB, joins Dr. JayR McIntyre for Season 6’s Combat / Military Edition to share nearly 25 years of work housing homeless veterans in the Chicago area. An Army veteran who experienced her own homelessness, domestic violence, and military sexual trauma after a medical discharge cut her active service short, Yvette turned her lived experience into a mission of bridging the gap between homeless veterans and the agencies, investors, and funding that can house them. As founder of VetMentors LLC and VetMentors Publishing, a national writer for Mission Roll Call, and a realtor who has helped house thousands of veterans since 2007, she details the systems, funding, and advocacy behind veteran housing solutions, plus the leadership and entrepreneurship required to sustain that mission.
Main Topics:
Veteran homelessness solutions
Leadership after military service
Building a veteran-owned business
Housing advocacy & community impact
Entrepreneurship with purpose
Empowering the next generation of leaders
Intriguing Quotes:
“I help bridge the gap between homeless veterans and getting someplace to live.” (Yvette Jones-Swanson)
“This community of homeless veterans is a community that not only needs to be housed but needs to be protected.” (Yvette Jones-Swanson)
“Nobody’s asking you to house homeless veterans for free.” (Yvette Jones-Swanson)
“A lot of veterans that are homeless, they want to be homeless because they don’t want to be seen no more. But a lot of them need to be brought to the forefront because they do have a message and they have a mission.” (Yvette Jones-Swanson)
“Love on animals. Love on everything that you have. Positivity wins at the end of the day.” (Yvette Jones-Swanson)
“I don’t bring anybody on my platform that I’m not inspired by.” (Dr. JayR McIntyre)
Key Moments:
[00:01:27] - JayR opens Season 6 and welcomes Yvette Jones-Swanson to the table
[00:02:03] - Yvette introduces herself as an Army veteran from Chicago who has housed homeless veterans for nearly 25 years
[00:02:59] - Yvette describes sleeping in her car and relying on family after leaving an unsafe home with no VA support
[00:13:13] - Yvette recounts becoming the target of her drill sergeant during basic training
[00:18:40] - Yvette reflects on surviving military sexual trauma, domestic abuse, and homelessness as a veteran and military spouse
[00:21:02] - Yvette explains how becoming a realtor led her into the homeless veteran housing community in 2007
[00:26:03] - Yvette details founding VetMentors LLC, VetMentors Publishing, and her role as a national writer for Mission Roll Call
[00:43:17] - JayR closes with the Pour Into Me segment, affirming Yvette’s mission and impact
Notable Guests/Resources:
Yvette Jones-Swanson, M.A., SDVOSB, is a National Veterans Homeless Housing Advocate, Realtor, Consultant, and Founder of VetMentors LLC, as well as an Army veteran. She also owns VetMentors Publishing, home to her US Military Veterans Educational and Guide Book Series available on Amazon, and serves as a national writer for Mission Roll Call, where she is the subject matter expert on homeless veterans housing. Her nonprofit, 100 Pretty Purses for Female Veterans, has since been dissolved as she works toward launching a new foundation supporting transitional housing for female veterans of domestic violence.
Sponsors mentioned:
Los Angeles Tribune, Riverside, Seven Eagle Academy.