PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Every year in the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, a Peer Specialist of the Year is chosen in recognition of their work.
That position helps facilitate groups that can talk about anything from PTSD, substance abuse, mental health, and more.
This year’s winner is Matt Labitzke.
It’s a job he didn’t initially think about after he finished his service in the Coast Guard.
These days, he has a hard time thinking about doing anything else.
“It’s my goal to give back to other veterans that are dealing with the same issues that I dealt with,” he said.
He has helped veterans with their struggles for the past five years.
One way he does this is through his story.
“Before I came here, I was homeless,” he said. “I was addicted to alcohol and other substances. I was living on the streets. I had nothing.”
Labitzke was named the Peer Specialist of the Year in a region representing veteran hospitals and clinics across Florida, south Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
These facilities serve over 1.4 million veterans.
Labitzke didn’t get to where he is now without help.
He’s a peer specialist for many people, but Eileen Nelson was one for him.
Now retired, Nelson has always been one of Matt’s biggest supporters.
“I didn’t hear it, I saw his picture on the monitor, and I was like, ‘Oh man, Matthew made it,’” she said.
Labitzke hopes that when other veterans see his story, they can see that if he can do it, so can they.
Matt Lackritz
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