Fisher House provides comfort homes near military and VA medical centers. It’s free temporary housing, so families of hospitalized veterans don’t have to choose between being there and spending thousands.
More than 9 million veterans rely on VA health care, supported by caregivers who give nearly 10 hours a day, almost every day of the week. Since 1990, the Fisher House network has provided 13.4 million nights of free lodging, saving families an estimated $650 to $690 million.
Despite all of that, Fisher House is, as they put it, “one of the best-kept secrets in the Veteran space.” That’s where we came in.
New Home, New Challenges
When Fisher House Michigan opened its Detroit home at the start of 2025, it was a huge milestone for veteran families across the state. In those early months, the home struggled to spread the word. Beds sat empty, not because the need wasn’t there, but because families who needed them most simply didn’t know Fisher House existed.
One year later, the picture looks very different. Through a sustained communications effort including media outreach and targeted PR, the Detroit home has been able to increase its capacity and reach the families it was built to serve.
Seeing it Up Close
Most stories can’t be told from a desk. To truly understand what Fisher House Michigan offers, you have to walk through the door and sit in the space where families can relax for the first time in days.
We traveled to the Ann Arbor Fisher House to record a podcast episode on-site. For some listeners, it was their first introduction to Fisher House.
We also provided on-the-ground support when lawmakers visited the Detroit home one year after it opened. That moment connected the people writing veteran policy with the families living it, and it put a human face on what increased funding, expanded access, and community investment actually look like in practice.
The Stories We Told
The stories we helped Fisher House tell reached an estimated 12.1 million total views and were shared on social 822 times.
Michigan Business Network’s conversation with Executive Director Kate Melcher introduced the mission to a statewide audience who didn’t know this resource existed in their own backyard. In her Detroit News op-ed, Kate made the policy case, arguing that keeping families close to hospitalized veterans is a meaningful part of the recovery process. Authority Magazine placed Fisher House Michigan within the broader national conversation around how veteran care in the U.S. has evolved.
Good storytelling puts the right story in front of the right people. We’re proud to have helped Fisher House Michigan find theirs.
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