Whole Health

Navy Veteran Chris Perales found the support he needed from Marine Corps Veteran Nate Nordby, the Boise Rescue Mission, and VA Whole Health.

When Navy Veteran Chris Perales arrived at the Boise Rescue Mission Ministries after nearly four years of living in his car, he was looking for safety, stability, and safe place to begin his recovery from substance abuse. What he found was a supportive community, a renewed sense of purpose, and a Whole Health approach to well-being that is now being introduced to Veterans throughout the Treasure Valley.

A place to recover and reset

Chris’s path to the Mission came after years of instability, addiction, and serious health challenges — including diagnoses of advanced prostate and bladder cancer. “I needed a place where I knew I could live that was clean where I didn’t have to worry about being exposed to other drug users,” he explained.

The Mission’s Veterans Ministry Program (VMP) provided exactly that. Over the course of nearly 19 months, he regained stability, entered recovery, and began rebuilding the relationships and goals he once feared were lost. Now living in the Mission’s transitional Next Step housing program and enrolled full‑time in college, Chris was honored last year as the VMP’s Veteran of the Year.

A community partnership to support Homeless Veterans

At the center of this transformation is a partnership between the Boise Rescue Mission Ministry and VA Whole Health. Marine Corps Veteran Nate Nordby, who leads the VMP, was introduced to VA’s Taking Charge of My Life and Health curriculum last year. For him, the program’s core elements — values exploration, goal‑setting, and the Circle of Health — aligned perfectly with the holistic model he had already been trying to build for the Veterans he serves.

“We want to move beyond just treating symptoms,” Nordby said. “Whole Health gives us a structured way to talk about sleep, food, movement, spirit, relationships — the underlying parts of a life that support healing.”

Now, the Mission is integrating Whole Health as a core component for every Veteran in its program. Nordby has completed Whole Health facilitator training and is running new cohorts, adapting the curriculum through a trauma-informed lens for Veterans who may still be in survival mode. The response so far has been powerful, with Veterans engaging deeply in discussions about purpose, mindfulness, and what brings joy.

For Chris, Whole Health arrives at exactly the right moment. Navigating cancer treatment, rebuilding family connections, and pursuing a business degree, he says his mission now is simple: “To maintain and better the relationships I put in jeopardy, specifically my adult children, and to build a stable future.”

His journey reflects what Whole Health is designed to support — helping Veterans reconnect with what matters most and giving them tools to shape the future they choose.