Tiny homes have gained a great deal of attention over the past year, and this past weekend, veterans joined together to build the popular idea for their comrades in need.
“We identified too many veterans suffering from PTSD and addictions who were going untreated and not doing well in traditional shelters,” Chris Stout, president of Veterans Community Project, said in a news release. “We decided as vets that we had to do something to help.”
Stout, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, teamed up with retired Marine Corps veteran Kevin Jamison, Mark Solomon, and others, to form their nonprofit. Their goal is to help other homeless veterans who don’t qualify for veteran housing programs and connect them with other services to aid in their recovery.
Jeffrey Penfield is a vet who spent more than 30 years in the Navy, and he and other veteran volunteers spent the past weekend building a “Veterans Village” in Kansas City. “When you’re in the US military, it’s all about serving, giving of oneself for the greater good. And that doesn’t stop when you put the uniform away,” Penfield told KCTV5 News.
When they’re all done, the 5-acre lot will be filled with 52 tiny homes, complete with a bed, kitchen, and bathroom. “It’s amazing what you can put into 240 square feet,” said Mark Solomon. “We can bring them in off the streets into their own environment, help them reintegrate at their own pace and basically transition them at some point from these tiny houses into other programs,” he continued.
They also plan to build a community center that will be a central place where veterans can receive counseling, job skills training, and legal services. “If anyone wants to write a check for about $1.6 million dollars,” said Solomon, “we’ll be happy to build the community center right now. Their timeline depends solely on funding, and there are many veterans in need.
To learn more about the project, click here!
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[Featured Image Credit: KCTV]
Veterans Are Building Tiny Houses For Their Homeless Comrades is an article from: LifeDaily