Understanding Our
Mission Starts Here.
RP-1, Texas will end Veteran homelessness in the great State of Texas by providing shelter for veterans alongside therapies, substance-abuse treatments, and skills training. Entrepreneurship will be taught, fostered, and explored to set veterans up for success in life and boost the veteran economy. Equine activities and homesteading will be fundamental to the healing of the veterans at RP-1. Our homesteading approach will also incorporate sustainable development and implement clean energy, and we plan to teach veterans and volunteers about regenerative agriculture. Microenterprises will drive a community market and excess food will be delivered to other veteran service organizations.
The Ride For Rally Point #RFRP Has Been Making The News!
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The Ride For Rally Point #RFRP Has Been Making The News! 〰️
Rally Point - a place designated by the leader where the platoon moves to reassemble and reorganize if it becomes dispersed.
Sustainable Agriculture
It is the worst-kept secret in Texas… The agricultural industry, as it currently stands, is unsustainable and undependable. RP-1’s sustainable crop and animal practices are at the heart of our operations. Our commitment to environmental and animal welfare is fundamental to providing healthy and ethical food to our residents and other communities in need. There are ways to produce food at a surplus, on very little land, and sometimes for less than the supermarket will charge. RP-1, Texas is where veterans learn these skills and help us end hunger among our peers.
Growth and Education
The crops and animals grown at RP-1 are a pillar of our therapeutic approach. It is difficult to describe, but if you know, you know: Homesteading is good for the soul. Mastering the art is also extremely educational, and we wish to share that insight with other VSO’s and the public at large. When everything from group-talk, to equine therapy, to AA, NA, and GA, and numerous targeted curriculums are accessible to our veterans, the encouragement and comradery inherent to our peer group foster participation and growth. The brotherhood fostered at RP-1 - the type our veterans are familiar with - is foundational to the effectiveness of the variety of therapies offered.
Zero-Carbon Goals and Ethical Practices
Here at RP-1, we are under no delusions of a world free of climate change, pollution, or inequity. That said, our veterans benefit greatly from the intrinsic effects of being close to nature. As such, it is also our responsibility to care for our environment, and we see no harm in being thoughtful about how we operate. While the agricultural practices employed are meant to strengthen our environment, we also draw on science and technology to assist us in our goal of having a carbon-neutral operation.
A Unique Approach to Therapy
Everyone’s approach to therapy, especially when it comes to homelessness, is unique. So to help grasp the concept, let us set it up. You’ve accomplished a lot in your life, but you’ve failed to thrive out here in the “real world”. Perhaps you’ve been in housing somewhere, and that place is great and all, but it sometimes feels a bit too static for you.
You find RP-1, Texas. Immediately, in group therapy, you learn that your problems are the same as everyone else’s, and you begin to feel a brotherhood that you thought had been a naive dream of a past life. Only this time it is the healing and a new shared mission, instead of trauma and esprit de corps, that is bringing you closer to your peers.
When you arrive, you bunk up in Section 2, who tends to the chickens and other birds. Two weeks later, your references and background is checked. Your onboarding interviews are complete, all the paperwork is done, and you can begin equine therapy. You’re excited because maybe if you are good with the horses, Section 4, who take care of the larger mammals, may have an opening.
Our Careers Programs begin with teaching the basics of professionalism. These include things like resume building, interview tactics, management/leadership courses, and fashion/business dress.
The intermediate Careers Programs offer more advanced content involving survival and success within the workforce. These courses in Human Resources, marketing, accounting, and business regulations provide veterans with the tools needed to stand out and advocate for themselves in the professional world.
Adjacent to the intermediate Careers Programs are the Skills Programs. The Skills Programs offered range from Microsoft Office and other computer-related skills to welding, mechanics, and animal welfare.
Many Homeless Veterans Got That Way Because They Failed to Translate Their Skills
Entrepreneurship
The most advanced Careers Programs at RP-1 will revolve around entrepreneurship. The veteran community as a whole has proven time and time again to contain innovative captains of industry. At RP-1, we believe our domicile-challenged peers are no different from their homed counterparts in that regard, and we intend to explore those hidden skills, aspirations, and ideas. Fostering entrepreneurship and allowing it to flourish may only be therapeutic. The RP-1, Texas Entrepreneur Committees may only ever materialize as “micro-enterprises” that stimulate a local and online economy, but it just might change the world.