As a stage-three cancer patient, single mother at that time, and newly-disabled veteran who lost everything she owned in Hurricane Katrina, Maj. Jaspen “Jas” Boothe (U.S. Army, Retired) could have easily thrown in the towel and given up. But instead, she pushed forward, not just for her and for her son, but for the thousands of women veterans facing unstable housing and homelessness.
She recalls being rejected for housing support by the very federal agency designed to support her—all while undergoing two surgeries and 30 cycles of radiation during a six-month hospital stay in Texas.
“I’m a veteran at this time and I need supportive services, particularly housing for me and my son,” Boothe recalled, as she reached out to a federal agency for help and said she was told: “‘Yes, we help veterans, but you’re a woman.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, last time I checked.’ And she said, ‘Well, you mentioned you had an illegitimate child, right? You need to go get on welfare and food stamps like other women in your situation.’”
Appalled by the response, Boothe couch-surfed and stayed with an aunt for a time while getting back on her feet. A few years into her recovery, she decided the answer to solve this crisis was already within her.
Boothe founded Final Salute Inc. in 2010, which is one of the few nonprofits in the country dedicated exclusively to housing homeless women veterans and their children. In 15 years, Final Salute Inc. has provided more than 17,000 transitional housing days while serving more than 8,000 women veterans across 30 states and territories.
The organization has been a literal lifeline and lifesaver for so many women, who are now where Boothe once was. This includes Lisa, a Navy veteran and single mother of two girls who was separated from her youngest daughter’s father due to physical and mental abuse, according to a Final Salute Inc. testimonial.
“I had issues with my vehicle, which has caused me to fall behind on my rent. I reached out to Final Salute and they have helped me and my girls to keep our home,” Lisa stated. “Providing a safe and secure home for me and the girls is my No. 1 priority and Final Salute has helped me to do it.”
Minority veterans are overrepresented within the homeless veteran population, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Additionally, Major Boothe shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE that more than 70 % of the homeless women veteran population have at least one child in their care.
“Unfortunately, for some, they suffer in silence. They stay in domestic violence situations. They hop from home to home, because unfortunately, if you go to [seek] resources and say, ‘I’m homeless, I don’t have a place for me and my child to live,’ you risk losing your child,” Boothe said. “So, a lot of us put ourselves in dangerous situations in order to stay with our children.”
From Midwest Roots to Military Boots
Born in Chicago and raised in her early years at the Cabrini-Green Homes—with family roots originating in Mississippi—she enrolled in Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) on a full basketball scholarship. While other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were knocking at her door, Major Boothe said, “it was something about Mississippi Valley State that drove me to the university. And I’m telling you, I’ve been to other universities outside of an HBCU, and there is definitely nothing like the experience you get at an HBCU as a Black American.”
After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications at MVSU, the proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., she then enrolled in the Army National Guard. As a single mother at that time, Boothe wanted to break stereotypes “placed upon women who become single mothers about how successful you can be in life.” Thus, she entered what is considered a male-dominated profession.
While higher education was something her family stressed as a key stepping stone to a successful life, entering the military put her at odds with some in her family—particularly her father.
“My dad was very old school, and he was of the mind that Black people don’t have a place in the military,” she said, noting that her father questioned why she would want to put her life on the line for a country that does not highly respect Black Americans.
Boothe understood her father’s harsh stance, as he viewed military service through a lens of skepticism, having witnessed segregation and its effects, particularly in the Deep South.
“But then, as he saw me progressing through the military and saw the things that I was able to accomplish, he then got on board,” Boothe said, “and he was very happy and ecstatic and telling everybody, ‘yes, my daughter’s in the Army! My daughter is a Captain in the Army!’”
Originally enlisted as a Mustang Officer and beginning as a truck driver, she then commissioned as a Human Resources officer. Boothe said she spent 17 years in the military—as she received a cancer diagnosis (now in remission)—and then got back into her military career. She later had both knees replaced and her spine fused. Although Boothe faced life-threatening health challenges and was three years shy of retirement, she believes the timing was just right for her to be able to use her personal journey to help other women.
“I would have loved to do 20 years, but I believe everybody’s journey is different for a reason,” she said. “And so, I believe that. I got out at the time that I needed to.”
Her father passed before Boothe became a major, but he was incredibly happy about her success in the military. Her oldest son, Brandon, followed in his mother’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Air Force. Now married and the proud mother of two sons, her husband is a U.S. Marine.
Black College: The Foundation for Service
Choosing an HBCU was pivotal for Boothe’s educational, military, and entrepreneurial journey.
“Going to an HBCU gave me that foundation of community and probably was essential in my journey to start my nonprofit organization,” she said.
Several years after experiencing homelessness, Boothe was watching one of Oprah Winfrey’s final talk shows. It happened to feature a homeless veteran woman living in her car.
“I was completely floored and shocked because of the several years that had passed by, I had kind of written off my situation as ‘maybe I was just one who slipped through the cracks,’” she said, feeling sure that the sexism and discrimination she once faced from the federal agency supporting veterans had since improved. “But after I saw that show and realized there were still tens of thousands of homeless women veterans without resources and without support, that’s basically what started the fuel in me to found Final Salute Inc.”
According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “overall Veteran homelessness decreased in 2024, and homelessness among female Veterans followed suit. However, levels still remain higher than they were in 2020.” Data shows nearly 3,500 homeless women Veterans as of 2024, with a concerning number of “unsheltered female Veterans living on the streets, in a car or in another unsafe situation” at 1,668.
Having never thought of running a nonprofit, Boothe “knew leadership from what the military taught me,” she said. “You see a problem, you find a solution.”
In asking about launching a nonprofit, many folks told her to establish a 501 (c) (3), which she was cautioned would be a lengthy process—possibly even taking years, she said. But the fuel within her continued to burn, as she daily thought of the women veterans and their children who do not have years to wait.
“And so, I did a thing. I wrote a letter to the IRS with my packet and asked if they could please expedite my 501 (c) (3) because women Veterans don’t have years to wait. They’re losing their children. Some are losing their lives. They’re losing their homes.”
Within 30 days, Boothe said she received her confirmation letter from the IRS, and Final Salute Inc. was officially approved. One hundred percent of her support comes from the private sector.
“It was completely unheard of, but I knew that this is my mission and my calling. And I had what I needed to get started,” she said.
Veteran S. Moore of Woodbridge, Virginia, lost her job while fighting cancer and suffered heart failure from the chemotherapy drugs, she said, putting her in the tough spot of no longer affording her critical electric bill while raising her son.
“Because I have to plug into the wall outlet at night to keep my heart pump going, it was causing me great stress knowing that I was in danger of getting my electricity cut,” said Moore. “Final Salute Inc. came in and paid the entire bill, ensuring me that I would be able to stay in my apartment. I have been to many agencies asking for help and was turned away for them all, but Final Salute came through for me and didn’t make me [feel] worthless.”
Proudly Representing All Women Veterans
There are three signature programs of Finale Salute Inc. The H.O.M.E. Program provides transitional housing, food, clothing, and on-site case management to homeless women veterans and their children. S.A.F.E. helps prevent homelessness by easing financial hardships, including emergency assistance with past-due rent, utility assistance, and offering financial education. And Next Uniform provides support for women veterans and military women in transition into the civilian workforce. At no cost, this program provides professional business attire, makeovers, image consulting, and headshots.
Beyond her organization’s impactful programming, Final Salute Inc. is also the beneficiary of the annual Ms. Veteran America competition, an advocacy competition for women veterans, which will be held in Tampa on Oct. 11.
In late April, Boothe was honored as one of 100 Women to KNOW in America at a national summit in Phoenix. The program is deemed a “premier recognition program honoring high-achieving women who demonstrate exceptional leadership, professional excellence, and significant societal impact” across various sectors.
“My recognition is on behalf of all women who have served and sacrificed for this great nation. You know, we are not damsels in distress. We are not birds with broken wings. We are the trailblazers; we are the mountain movers.” Boothe shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE. “And so, for me, it just shows how successful we can be.”
Catch Maj. Boothe’s full podcast interview on “Class is in Session,” airing Sunday, May 10 at 3 pm ET on Black Enterprise’s streaming platforms.
