David Higgins joined the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) in 2019. Though he doesn’t have a connection to the military, he has always had a passion for America’s veterans.
His origin story of serving this country’s warriors began with his childhood in Jamaica and the Bahamas.
“I moved to Atlanta to go to college when I was 16 and law school at Howard Law in 2005,” he told We Are The Mighty.
With his undergraduate degree in journalism, Higgins spent a lot of time doing layouts and designs for his school’s newspaper. He jokes that he’s a lawyer by trade and a graphic designer second, a fun mix.
“My dad is a lawyer in the Bahamas and my mom a college professor. I think that combination of law and journalism came from them,” Higgins added.
Though he ultimately did not pursue practicing law, Higgins spent three years in a law office doing claims reviews. When that job ended, and his wife announced she was pregnant with twins in 2013, he knew he needed to pivot.
“With the law, you kind of have to break down complex things into smaller parts to get your point across, and comms is pretty much the same thing. And with my graphic design background, I’m able to do that both visually and with text,” Higgins explained.
As his work helping a local church with their communications and design began to grow and he saw the impact he could have, it became a new career opportunity. Higgins saw an ad for NCHV, and he felt called to join the mission.
“From my time in college and law school, I had paid attention to the veteran homelessness issue, and it was something I believed should never be happening,” he shared. “I think at the time, I had prayed that I needed something to mesh my skills together well and be able to help me support myself, and this was the perfect thing.”
Though Higgins is not yet an American citizen, his wife and daughters are. He sees helping veterans as a fundamental responsibility. Seven years after landing the job, he has helped grow the organization in vital ways by reshaping how it communicates, shares its message, and serves those in need.
“I pride myself on being a ‘how can we figure this out?’ person instead of a ‘nah, let’s not do it’ person,” Higgins said.
Today, Higgins manages a broad range of communications and technical work, from web updates and webinars to video editing, podcast production, visual design, merchandising, and brand strategy.
His work has expanded the way the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans tells its story. Rather than relying on images of veterans on the street holding signs, Higgins has transformed how the world sees this issue. Instead, it’s families on the verge of homelessness and underrepresented populations like homeless women veterans and those who are part of the LGBTQ community.
Higgins also created the organization’s merchandise store, designs its products, and even helped redesign its award trophies around the NCHV housing logo. These are small but intentional efforts to keep the organization’s mission visible.
But his most ambitious project to date is the 28-minute documentary he is producing, “Resolve,” which tells the story of NCHV and its Vietnam War veteran founders. Over two years, Higgins has organized interviews, developed the script, and brought together a team to create the film.
“The founders cried when they watched it,” Higgins shared.
For the last 35 years, the organization has devoted itself to ending veteran homelessness. It has served as the resource and technical assistance hub for a nationwide network of community organizations and government partners, providing housing, employment assistance, health services, legal aid, and case management.
Since 2010, data suggests that veteran homelessness has fallen by nearly 50% in some estimates.
But for Higgins, the ultimate measure of success is a future where NCHV’s work is no longer needed.
“I’m working to make sure that I don’t work here anymore,” he said. “That’s the entire point. We’re working to make sure we don’t need this organization.”
You can learn more about the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans by visiting NCHV.org.
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