- It's a Hispanic-Mexican grocery store.

- [Evan] Eric Wilson said he was on a rough road when he returned to the United States from overseas Army deployment in 2016.

- Very chaotic.

And then it's even worse when you don't have a friend.

- You know, putting it into a retirement.

You know, those are those things that you wanna think about.

- [Evan] Wilson was later referred to the Veterans Life Center in Butner.

They help veterans reintegrate into society.

The 100-bed facility is designed to help those at risk and prevent them from falling into crises, such as chronic homelessness, incarceration, or even suicide.

- When I got here, I stayed in my room for a while.

I didn't wanna talk to no one.

Barely was eating.

Sad.

I cried a lot when I first got here.

- [Evan] The center was made possible through a grant from the State Employees' Credit Union and partners with local groups in the Granville County area.

These partners come in to assist residents across a number of areas, including life skills, spiritual guidance, financial advice, and mental health.

For his part, Wilson has thrived since walking in the center doors and is now pursuing a career in radiography at Granville Community College.

- I found a group of people that actually believed in the veterans.

- [Evan] After John Turner read that 22 veterans were committing suicide per day, he said it was clear there was no system in place to address their needs.

And that's when he decided to open the center in 2019.

He says things like post-traumatic stress after combat deployment can hurt a veteran's chance of getting back on their feet.

- When I drive down the road, if there's trash on the road, I'll switch lanes because an Iraq, trash could be an IED.

I still, 15 years later, will switch lanes.

- [Evan] For some, the anxiety of walking into a crowd or even a grocery store can become too much.

- We founded the Veterans Life Center to solve the problem, to give veterans a place to come where they can relax, focus on themselves, not have to worry about paying rent, buying groceries, or anything else, but truly focus on themselves and getting the healing they need so they can go on to find a personally satisfying place in civil society.

- [Evan] Wilson is looking forward to his new chapter and says it wouldn't have been possible without the center.

- The important things were supported, and my life has changed drastically in a year.

- [Evan] And meanwhile, the Veterans Life Center is seen by many as a possible model for others around the country and a place to give our returning heroes the step up they need.

For ncIMPACT, I'm Evan Howell.