Southeast Massachusetts

Based on the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates, approximately 86,198 veterans live in Southeast Massachusetts, including 5,596 women veterans. This page includes events and directories of local veterans’ services; VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys; veteran outreach centers; healthcare facilities; specialty courts; elder services; community resources; veterans posts and auxiliaries; and veteran owned businesses, along with veteran census, VA spending, veteran homelessness, and public health data.

Submit Event

When you submit events, use the southeast tag so they automatically show up on here. Events in relevant cities and towns should also be tagged with cape-cod, south-coast, south-shore, greater-boston, boston-metro, and/or metrowest so they also show up on pages for those areas within Southeast Mass. The listing below has links to see events at the city and town level. If you include the city or town where your event is taking place within the event description, it will appear in the relevant local listing.

Local Event Listings

Local Recovery Meetings

 
 

The mission of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS) is to act as the primary advocate on behalf of all the Commonwealth’s veterans. The Office provides outreach and support through various programs. EOVS offers assistance to eligible veterans and their surviving spouses through the MassVets Financial Benefits Program, administered by local veterans’ services.

Local Veterans’ Services

District Veterans’ Services

Veterans may use the Mass Vet Benefit Calculator to see what they may qualify for and contact their local veterans’ services office to apply. MGL Chapter 115 requires each town/city have a veterans’ agent to administer these benefits, but two or more contiguous towns can also appoint someone to serve as veterans’ agent and form Veterans’ Services Districts. Many municipal veterans’ services office also have VA-accredited staff to assist with federal benefit claims.

Office Hours for Veterans Benefits

VA-Accredited Representatives, Agents & Attorneys

The directory below includes VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys based in cities and towns in Southeastern Mass from the VA Office of the General Counsel (OGC) Accreditation Search Tool, updated on a weekly basis. Accreditation ensures VA claimants receive qualified assistance aligned with VA Standards of Conduct. Attorney listings also include available official state bar data, license status, registration dates, and disciplinary history, updated on a monthly basis.

Veteran Outreach Centers

Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center

The Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center (CIVOC) in Hyannis helps veterans and their families across Cape Cod and the Islands with food assistance, counseling, housing support, transportation, and referrals. CIVOC also provides transitional housing in Hyannis and Dennis, case management, food pantry locations across the region, and food delivery to homebound veterans. To learn more, call (508) 778-1590 or email CIVOC.

Falmouth Community Veterans Center

The Falmouth Community Veterans Center in Falmouth is operated by the nonprofit Joe Q Veteran Coffee Break for veterans, service members, and their families. Located at 300 Dillingham Avenue, it offers a place to connect with peers, learn about programs and benefits, use computers and printing services, and participate in social and educational activities. Visiting specialists also hold office hours to help veterans explore services and support. For current programs and visiting specialist schedules, call (508) 658-8007 or email.

Veterans Association of Bristol County

The Veterans Association of Bristol County (VABC) in Fall River supports veterans, service members, and their families with food assistance, clothing, peer support, and opportunities to connect with other veterans. Its programs include the Healthy Food 4 Vets pantry, lunches and coffee socials, a clothing trailer, and wellness and recreational activities. Veterans seeking support can pre-register online for staff to follow up and complete the intake process. For more information, call (508) 679-9277 or contact VABC.

Veterans Transition House Outreach Center

Veterans Transition House’s Anthony C. and Salvatore H. Alfiero Outreach Center at 1297 Purchase Street in New Bedford provides information, referrals, and ongoing support to veterans and their families across Southeastern Massachusetts, with a focus on securing and maintaining stable housing. Staff assist with housing applications, employment and training, benefits, transportation, and connections to healthcare, recovery programs, and food and clothing resources. Veterans, family members, and service providers seeking assistance can call (508) 992-5313 or email VTH.

Plymouth Area Veterans Center

The Plymouth Area Veterans Center (PAVC) is a one-stop shop for veteran services launched by Volunteers of America Massachusetts with the support of EOVS to serve the South Shore area in October 2024. The center connects South Shore veterans with behavioral health care, VA and other public benefits, housing and employment services, peer support, and social and educational activities. Veterans seeking assistance or opportunities to connect can visit 20 North Park Avenue in Plymouth, call (617) 390-0280, or email the center.

Healthcare Facilities in Southeast Massachusetts

VA Healthcare System

Southeast Region veterans are served by the VA Boston and VA Providence Healthcare Systems with the Brockton VA Medical Center; Plymouth, Quincy, Hyannis, and New Bedford outpatient clinics; and Brockton, Cape Cod, and New Bedford Vet Center located within the region. Anyone who has served in the military is encouraged to apply to determine their eligibility and Priority Group. Some veterans are exempt from co-pays due to their VA rating, income, or special eligibility factors.

Community Behavioral Health Centers

Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) are one-stop shops for mental health and substance use services and treatment. The network includes 12 centers in Southeast Massachusetts offering immediate, confidential care for mental health and substance use needs. CBHCs are open daily for walk-ins, routine appointments, and crisis care, including Mobile Crisis Intervention.

CBHCs are closely connected to the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL). The BHHL is a 24/7 clinical hotline staffed by trained behavioral health providers and peer coaches who offer clinical assessment, treatment referrals, and crisis triage services. Staff directly connect callers with the nearest CBHC when appropriate. Call or text (833) 773-2445.

Peer Recovery Support Centers

Peer Recovery Support Centers (PRSC) in Massachusetts are free accessible peer-led spaces that provide individuals in recovery from substance use, as well as their family members and loved ones, an opportunity to offer and receive human connection, community inclusion, peer support, and access to non-clinical resources.

The Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline is staffed by a dedicated team of harm reductionists and people with lived and living experience with overdose. The hotline is not a recovery or treatment helpline; it connects people using drugs with trained operators who can call for help in case of overdose. It is available to anyone at risk of overdose. Call (800) 972-0590.

Specialty Courts in Southeast Mass

Norfolk and Plymouth County have Veterans’ Treatment, Mental Health, and Recovery Courts. Recovery Courts are also available in Bristol and Barnstable County. The Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts, an initiative of the Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court, aims to bring innovative, evidence-based, and equitable interventions to Specialty Courts.

  • Veterans’ Treatment Courts are court-supervised, treatment-focused collaboratives designed to handle criminal cases involving defendants with a history of military service through a coordinated effort among the veterans services delivery system, community-based providers, and the court.

    Veterans’ treatment court sessions aim to improve public safety while dealing with underlying issues of PTSD, TBI, and MST.  Abstinence from drugs/alcohol, mandated treatment, swift accountability, and weekly interaction with the court is required. There are two VTCs in the Southeast region:

  • Recovery Courts, also referred to as Drug Treatment Courts and Drug Courts, address the behavioral health and social support needs of adults involved with the criminal-legal system. Recovery Courts are designed to assist court-involved people in their path toward recovery from substance use and away from unlawful behavior. The District Court operates sessions in the Southeast region in:

  • Mental Health Courts, also referred to as Recovery Courts and Recovery with Justice, address the behavioral health and social support needs of adults involved with the criminal-legal system. Mental Health Courts are designed to increase access to mental health treatment for court-involved people and assist them in their path away from unlawful behavior. The District Court operates sessions in:

Elder Services in Southeast Mass

Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) are private, non-profit agencies established under MGL Chapter 19A to provide direct and protective services, including information and referrals; interdisciplinary case management; intake and assessment; developing, implementing, and monitoring service plans; reassessing needs; and investigating reports of elder abuse and neglect.

Aging Services Access Points

Councils on Aging

Councils on Aging (COAs) are municipal agencies that provide local outreach, social and health services, advocacy, information and referral for older adults, their families, and caregivers. COAs and Senior Centers serve as advocates and links to support services for elders, families, and caregivers. They offer outreach, transportation, meals, health screenings, health insurance counseling, and life-long learning, social, fitness, wellness, and recreation activities.

MassOptions is a service of the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) that can also help older adults, people with disabilities, and family members or caregivers identify aging and disability services and connect to those that can meet their needs. Call (800) 243-4636 or click here to complete a referral.

Southeast Mass Resource Network

The Veterans Collaborative Network Directory is a shared resource that includes the various organizations and programs participants are affiliated with, as long as they’ve signed in or otherwise participated in our summits to help us map the landscape. This is not an exhaustive list of programs serving the Southeast Region, but you’ll find many here along with their websites and event listings.

MassHire Southeastern Veterans Coalition

The Southeastern Massachusetts Veterans’ Coalition was founded in 2021 to provide an alliance of state and community-based organizations that connect resources and services to those that served in our nation’s Armed Forces. The Coalition is an opportunity to provide a cohesive network of city, state, federal, and private organizations that benefit the veteran community. For more information, contact any MassHire Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist in the Southeast Region:

Veterans Posts & Auxiliaries in Southeast Mass

The Veterans Posts and Auxiliaries directory includes information about the VFW, American Legion, and AMVETS Posts, Marine Corps League Detachments, and Military Officers Association of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, and DAV Chapters based in cities and towns in Southeastern Massachusetts, as well as information about their auxiliaries and other affiliates.

Veteran Owned Businesses in Southeast Mass

The Veteran Owned Businesses directory is based on publicly available information and listings of veteran owned businesses based in Massachusetts. The listing below includes businesses in Southeastern Massachusetts. Follow the link below to update information or submit a new business.

Update a Listing or Submit a New Business

Southeast Mass Veteran Owned Business Estimates

The Annual Business Survey and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics provide estimates of veteran-owned businesses in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk, and Plymouth Counties in 2023, including businesses with paid employees and businesses without paid employees.

Barnstable Couty

Barnstable County had approximately 1,400 veteran-owned non-employer businesses, compared with 1,400 in 2022. The 2023 employer estimate was suppressed; the published 2022 estimate was 258.

Bristol County

Bristol County had an estimated 572 veteran-owned employer firms and approximately 1,800 non-employer businesses. The 2022 employer estimate was suppressed, and the rounded non-employer count was 1,800.

Norfolk County

Norfolk County had an estimated 705 veteran-owned employer firms and approximately 1,700 non-employer businesses, compared with 334 employer firms and 1,800 non-employers in 2022.

Plymouth County

Plymouth County had an estimated 542 veteran-owned employer firms and approximately 2,100 non-employer businesses, compared with 548 employer firms and 2,100 non-employers in 2022.

Dukes County

Dukes County had an estimated 4 veteran-owned employer firms and approximately 100 non-employer businesses. The 2022 employer estimate was suppressed, and the rounded non-employer count was 100.

Nantucket County

Nantucket County had an estimated 7 veteran-owned employer firms and approximately 60 non-employer businesses. The 2022 employer estimate was suppressed, and the rounded non-employer count was 70.

Plymouth had the largest published non-employer count among the six counties. Rounded non-employer counts were unchanged in four counties and lower in Norfolk and Nantucket. Suppression and substantial sampling uncertainty in several employer estimates limit comparisons over time; suppressed figures do not mean that no businesses existed.

Explore the 2023 business ownership tables and 2022 comparison tables for firm counts, receipts, employment, and payroll. Select Veteran under veteran status and Total for All Sectors for the figures above. County employer counts should not be added together as a regional total because a firm operating in multiple counties can appear in each county. Non-employer counts are rounded.

Southeast Mass Veterans Census Data

Based on the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates, approximately 86,198 veterans live in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk, and Plymouth Counties. Veterans make up about 5.1 percent of civilian adults age 18 and older, or 4.1 percent of the total population.

Women account for approximately 6.5 percent of veterans (5,596). Around 61 percent of veterans are age 65 or older (52,163), compared with 34.6 percent of women veterans (1,934). Approximately 75 percent of veterans served during a wartime period (64,244). An estimated 2,094 people are currently serving in the Armed Forces, including 262 women, or about 13 percent.

Between the 2021 and 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, the estimated veteran population decreased by 10.9 percent, from 96,734 to 86,198. The estimated number of women veterans decreased by 4.9 percent, from 5,884 to 5,596. These five-year periods overlap, so the differences should not be read as annual changes. Estimates also carry sampling error.

If you serve veterans and are trying to learn more about their demographics, explore the most recent ACS 5-year estimates from Census Reporter for cities and towns in Southeast Massachusetts below.

Age, Disability & Poverty Status

Based on the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates, disability and poverty data cover 84,647 veterans in Southeast Massachusetts. Around 29 percent reported a disability (24,729), and 5.5 percent had incomes below the poverty level (4,692).

Among veterans age 65 or older for whom poverty status is determined, approximately 39 percent reported a disability (19,775), and 5.8 percent had incomes below the poverty level (2,926). Around 80 percent of veterans with disabilities were age 65 or older.

An estimated 1,851 veterans had both a disability and incomes below the poverty level. They made up about 7 percent of veterans with disabilities and 39 percent of veterans with incomes below the poverty level.

Approximately 23.6 percent of veterans reported a service-connected disability rating (20,368), including ratings of 0 percent. Among veterans with a rating, around 34 percent reported a rating of 70 percent or higher (7,008). Rating level was not reported for 1,046 veterans. These figures measure reported ratings rather than receipt of compensation payments.

Whether or not a veteran has time during a “wartime” service era determines whether a very low income veteran is potentially eligible for a VA Pension. Eligible veterans over age 65 may qualify for a VA pension whether or not they have a qualifying disability.

Approximately 75 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans served during a wartime period (64,244). The remaining 25 percent served only during peacetime (21,954). These estimates describe periods of service and do not establish eligibility for VA benefits.

bristol county

Around 28 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Bristol County (24,032).

norfolk county

Around 26 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Norfolk County (22,054).

plymouth county

Around 28 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Plymouth County (24,212).

Barnstable County

Around 16 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Barnstable County (14,125).

Dukes County

Around 1 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Dukes County (1,072).

Nantucket County

Around 1 percent of Southeast Massachusetts veterans live in Nantucket County (703).

Education, Employment & Median Annual Income

Among veterans age 25 or older, approximately 36 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher (30,877). Around 29 percent had some college or an associate degree (24,405), 30 percent had a high school diploma or equivalent (25,713), and 5 percent had not completed high school (4,501).

Among veterans ages 18–64, approximately 79 percent were employed (26,796), and 19 percent were outside the labor force (6,433). The unemployment rate was 2.9 percent, representing 806 unemployed veterans among the 27,602 in the labor force. Median annual income among civilian adults age 18 or older with income was:

  • Barnstable County: $61,745 for veterans, compared with $49,756 for nonveterans.

  • Bristol County: $55,938 for veterans, compared with $43,900 for nonveterans.

  • Dukes County: veteran median unavailable, compared with $60,268 for nonveterans.

  • Nantucket County: $73,646 for veterans, compared with $66,811 for nonveterans.

  • Norfolk County: $64,998 for veterans, compared with $63,100 for nonveterans.

  • Plymouth County: $67,073 for veterans, compared with $52,073 for nonveterans.

These amounts are expressed in 2024 dollars. Each county has its own median. Differences in age and other population characteristics can affect these comparisons.

VA Spending in Southeast Mass

According to the latest VA Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures (GDX) reports, VA compensation and pension spending in Southeast Massachusetts increased by 19 percent from $594.9 million in FY2024 to $707.9 million in FY2025. These figures cover Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk, and Plymouth counties.

In FY2025, VA reported $1.664 billion in total spending in the region, including:

  • $808.3 million for medical care;

  • $707.9 million for compensation and pension; and

  • $72 million for education and employment programs.

VA Annual Benefits Reports provide additional information about benefit programs, including the number of recipients, their characteristics, and program activity. In FY2025, Massachusetts had 76,610 disability compensation recipients, 10,263 education participants, 3,197 Veteran Readiness and Employment participants, and 3,487 VA-guaranteed loans.

At the end of FY2025, 1,397 veterans were receiving VA pension in Massachusetts, with $18.6 million in estimated annual payments. Approximately 93.4 percent were age 65 or older (1,305). The number of Massachusetts wartime veterans receiving VA pension benefits has continued to decline from 1,582 veterans receiving $21.3 million in payments in FY2024, 1,998 veterans receiving $25.2 million in payments in FY2022, and 3,937 veterans receiving $43.1 million in FY2013.

These figures cover the whole state and are not broken down by county. The chart below shows pension recipients by age through FY2025. The payment estimate is a benefit-program measure rather than a GDX expenditure total.

VA changed the GDX reporting methodology in FY2024, moving from financial transaction codes toward individual and program office records, with recipients’ addresses and facility or project locations used to assign spending geographically. Program categories also changed. Compensation and pension previously included Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and burial allowances, which now appear in separate categories, affecting where spending appears and what the totals include.

Veteran Homelessness in Southeast Mass

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. Massachusetts has 10 regional CoCs. Southeast Massachusetts is served by the South Shore, Cape & Islands, Bristol County, and Massachusetts Balance of State CoCs.

The Balance of State CoC includes the Norfolk County communities of Braintree, Brookline, and Milton in the southeastern Boston Metro area; Bellingham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Wellesley, and Wrentham in the southeastern MetroWest area; and Avon, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Dover, Holbrook, Needham, Norwood, Plainville, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, and Westwood in the southeastern Greater Boston area.

  • The Norfolk County communities of Quincy and Weymouth in the Boston Metro area are part of the South Shore CoC.

  • The Attleboro/Taunton and New Bedford CoCs merged in May 2024 to form the Bristol County CoC. Fall River joined the Balance of State CoC in 2026; it remains a separate reporting area in the 2024 and 2025 counts below and is not included in the broader Bristol County CoC counts.

During the last ten days of January, CoCs conduct a Point-in-Time Count of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night. In 2024, veterans made up around 1.9 percent of the homeless population counted in Massachusetts.

There were 550 veterans experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts during the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, including 71 women, who made up 12.9 percent of homeless veterans in the state. The total remained at 550 veterans in 2025. Women veteran homelessness could not be compared in 2025 because HUD did not collect gender data as part of that year’s Point-in-Time submission.

The Southeast CoC reporting areas accounted for around 17.8 percent of veterans experiencing homelessness counted in Massachusetts in 2025. These figures combine South Shore, Cape and Islands, Bristol County, and Fall River. They do not include the Norfolk County communities that were part of the Balance of State CoC, whose full service area primarily covers Northeast Mass.

Across the Southeast CoC reporting areas, the number of homeless veterans counted increased by 27.3 percent, from 77 in 2024 to 98 in 2025. Together, they accounted for 17.8 percent of homeless veterans counted in Massachusetts in 2025. The total included 42 veterans in emergency shelter, 49 in transitional housing, and 7 unsheltered veterans, with none in Safe Haven housing.

The number of homeless women veterans counted across South Shore, Cape & Islands, Bristol County, and Fall River decreased by 38.5 percent, from 13 in 2023 to 8 in 2024, accounting for 11.3 percent of homeless women veterans counted in Massachusetts in 2024. The 2024 total included 4 women in emergency shelter, 3 in transitional housing, and 1 unsheltered woman veteran, with none in Safe Haven housing.

The 2025 Point-in-Time Count showed different changes across the CoCs serving Southeast Massachusetts:

  • South Shore: The number of veterans counted increased by 20 percent, from 20 in 2024 to 24 in 2025. All 24 veterans counted in 2025 were in emergency shelter.

  • Cape & Islands: The number increased by 133.3 percent, from 9 to 21 veterans. The 2025 count included 4 veterans in emergency shelter, 12 in transitional housing, and 5 unsheltered veterans.

  • Bristol County: The number increased by 6.7 percent, from 45 to 48 veterans. The 2025 count included 10 veterans in emergency shelter, 37 in transitional housing, and 1 unsheltered veteran.

  • Fall River: The number increased by 66.7 percent, from 3 to 5 veterans. The 2025 count included 4 veterans in emergency shelter and 1 unsheltered veteran. Fall River reported separately before joining the Balance of State CoC in 2026.

  • Massachusetts Balance of State: Across its full reporting area, the number decreased by 12.5 percent, from 72 to 63 veterans. The 2025 count included 35 veterans in emergency shelter, 18 in transitional housing, and 10 unsheltered veterans. These figures cover communities across Southeast and Northeast Mass.

The 26 Southeast Massachusetts cities and towns represented in the Balance of State CoC’s 2024–2025 counts are home to approximately 16,391 veterans, or around 19 percent of the region’s toal veteran population, based on the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates. The Balance of State CoC chart includes these communities alongside 89 communities in Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk Counties. Its homelessness counts therefore describe the full CoC, not Southeast Massachusetts alone. They are instead included in the regional totals for Northeast Mass.

Housing Advisory Council

Established through Executive Orders filed in conjunction with the Affordable Homes Act, the Housing Advisory Council and Commission on Unlocking Housing Production is bringing together a broad range of stakeholders from across Massachusetts to advise the Healey-Driscoll administration on strategies to address the state’s housing challenges. A regional listening session was held in May 2024 (see the data below). If you missed them, you can still provide feedback here.

Southeast Mass Public Health Data

The U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Suicide Prevention Strategies for Communities support the implementation of a public health approach that uses data to drive decision-making. Massachusetts does not publish comprehensive data surrounding the deaths of service members and veterans. The chart below includes data for suicide deaths overall in the Southeast Region.