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After two years of planning, a group of local homeless veterans in Kansas City, Missouri will have a place to call home. The Veterans Community Project has spent the past two years, planning and constructing 13 tiny homes on 89th and Troost.
The building consists of four family units and nine single units that have all the necessities. In addition to having a roof over their heads, the veterans will have access to classes that will teach them how to budget money, cook, stay healthy and overcome substance abuse.
Members of The Veterans Community Project believe that if these houses hadn't been built than many of the veterans would end up in jail or remain living on the street. They plan on continuing the progress by adding 19 more homes during phase two of the project. There are also future plans for building a community center for the residents.
During an emotional ribbon-cutting ceremony, The Veterans Community Project received City Council's final blessing and turned the power on in the newly designed homes.
"One of the vets was sitting out there last week, watching the houses get built and was in tears," Mark Solomon previously told FOX4. "Literally just crying about the fact that he was going to be moving into one of these houses. That's real. That's what makes this all worth it and yeah, it's a ton of time and a ton of effort, but we're gonna be able to help these people."
Several commenters applauded the group for working hard to help veterans in need...
"This is awesome! So happy for the veterans receiving these blessings!"
"So proud to have volunteered with them and witnessed the growth of this organization from the beginning. I can't wait to see where they grow next!"
Others had questions about how the veterans were selected to have the opportunity to live in the tiny home community...
"How are these VETS selected? I don't want to see a good thing to waste."
And others had questions about the mental health needs of the veterans...
"How are you dealing immediately with the mental health issues? A house won't fix those. Mentors onsite?"
Hopefully, this is the start of many more projects that benefit homeless vets. There are far too many veterans living on the streets or in quarters that simply aren't comfortable. While it's difficult to get an exact number, on average, there are 39,471 veterans living on the streets on any given night according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Luckily, this is a substantial decrease from years prior and is 56% lower than the count that was taken in 2010. This is proof that organizations like The Veterans Community Project, are making major progress when it comes to solving the problem of homeless veterans. The majority of homeless veterans today are males between the ages of 51 and 61 years old.
The combination of a place to live and tools to live a better life such as the one that the Veterans Community Project has provided is a win-win for everyone involved.
Credits: awm.com
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