Veteran Suicide Prevention Evaluation Program Resource Hub

Did You Know?

You may already be making a difference in suicide prevention, whether that is your focus or not.

Programs that support housing, education, life skills, employment or community connection all help prevent suicide by addressing risk factors early. This work, known as upstream suicide prevention, plays a critical role in protecting the health and well-being of veterans.

Why is it Important to Improve Veteran Suicide Prevention Efforts?

Veteran suicide remains a serious and evolving challenge. In 2022, more than 6,400 U.S. veterans died by suicide. It is the second leading cause of death for veterans under age 45. In addition, changing veteran demographics—including more women, younger veterans and increased racial and ethnic diversity—bring new needs and challenges.

While strong research is available on suicide prevention in general, it doesn’t always reflect the realities veterans face, especially during the transition to civilian life. We need more evidence about what works for veterans specifically.

Veteran-Serving Organizations (VSOs) are essential to addressing these challenges. VSOs provide critical services—like housing, mental health support and job training—that address root causes of suicide risk. But many VSOs lack the tools or time to evaluate their impact, making it harder to improve programs and show results.

To help VSOs better evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of their suicide prevention programs, the CDC Foundation was awarded a federal grant to work on the Veteran Suicide Prevention: Evaluation Demonstration (VSPE) Project in partnership with the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

How Can the VSPE Resource Hub Help?

The Veteran Suicide Prevention Evaluation (VSPE) Resource Hub provides free, practical tools to strengthen the impact you’re already making through better data collection, evaluation and program improvement. Inside the VSPE Resource Hub, the following resources can be found:

• VSPE Core Toolkit: Plain language guidance on key evaluation concepts and practices.  
• VSPE Practice Workbook: Hands-on worksheets that help you apply what you’ve learned to your own programs.
• VSPE Additional Resources: Curated links to other trusted materials to grow your understanding of evaluation.

The VSPE Resource Hub, based on the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, was developed as part of the Building Capacity to Prevent Veteran Suicide project by the CDC Foundation and CDC.

What is Program Evaluation?

Program evaluation is the process of using data and feedback to assess what’s working, identify areas for improvement and strengthen programs for greater impact. To learn more about program evaluation and how to plan for one to help improve your veteran suicide prevention efforts, check out the VSPE Core Toolkit.
 

Why Use the VSPE Resource Hub?

Program evaluation doesn’t have to be complicated. The VSPE Resource Hub provides practical tools to strengthen veteran suicide prevention efforts based on data. With these tools, the following goals can be reached:

• Improve Programs Based on Data  
  Find out what parts of your program are making the biggest difference, make improvements based on data and help build stronger evidence about what truly supports veterans.
• Communicate Impact
  Share clear evidence of your program’s impact with funders, partners and the veterans you serve. Strong evidence builds trust and helps you gain more support.
• Work Smarter, Create Greater Impact
  Direct your time and resources where they can have the greatest impact. Evaluation helps you be more strategic, make informed decisions and adapt to meet veterans’ evolving needs. 

How to Use the VSPE Resource Hub

The VSPE Resource Hub is designed to be flexible—whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to strengthen existing evaluation efforts. Here’s how to get started:

1.  Download the VSPE Resource Hub
Start by downloading the complete set of materials so you have the educational content, worksheets and real-world examples at your fingertips. 

2.  Apply the VSPE Resource Hub in Your Programs
The VSPE Resource Hub offers a suite of resources you can tailor to your needs:
 

• VSPE Core Toolkit 
  Begin here to get educated on key evaluation concepts explained in plain language, illustrated with examples from real-world VSO projects. It also includes a glossary of key terms to support learning and ease of use. Although we recommend using the toolkit sequentially, you can jump to the parts most relevant to your current work.
   
• VSPE Practice Workbook 
  Turn knowledge into action with worksheets that align with each section of the VSPE Core Toolkit. The VSPE Practice Workbook also includes two full case studies adapted from VSOs:
        o  Olivetown for Vets, demonstrating formative evaluation
        o  Team Reconnect, demonstrating process evaluation
   
• VSPE Additional Resources 
  Expand your learning with curated links to trusted external materials, including worksheets, templates and checklists to grow your understanding of evaluation and the CDC Program Evaluation Framework.
   

3.  Share and Provide Feedback
Use the VSPE Resource Hub with your team, adapt it to your programs and share it with partners who could benefit. As you use it, submit your feedback on the VSPE Toolkit and Workbook here. Your feedback helps us understand how the VSPE Toolkit and/or Workbook is being used and how it can be improved to better support your evaluation needs. We would also like to hear any recommendations or suggestions you may have for additional resources that might be useful as you design and evaluate your programs.

Need Help?

For questions or guidance on getting started, contact us at vspevaluation@cdcfoundation.org.