Tiny homes, big impact for struggling veterans

There s no catch this is what we owe you That s what Bryan Meyer tells veterans struggling with homelessness or addiction when he welcomes them to one of the homes at a Veterans Locality Project VCP village Meyer CEO of the Veterans Society Project is a Marine veteran who served multiple tours in the Middle East And he knows what it s like to feel lost in the land he once fought for Meyer struggled to fit in when he returned to the United States ending up in legal trouble until a judge helped him find counseling I was lucky enough to run into a handful of other veterans in Kansas City who all felt the same way We all explained to ourselves there s got to be something a little bit better out there for veterans Meyer notified the crowd at the groundbreaking for a new VCP Village in Milwaukee on Oct VCP builds communities of tiny homes as transitional housing for homeless veterans They also provide on-site occurrence management to address underlying issues such as mental strength and employment skills helping veterans get back on their feet and transition into long-term permanent housing Homeless veterans are sleeping in our city streets and parks Meyer revealed They re our neighbors mothers brothers and sisters Meyer s vision began with a single home in Kansas City I was lucky enough to run into a handful of other veterans in Kansas City who all felt the same way We all commented to ourselves there s got to be something a little bit better out there for veterans he explained Vinnie Morales another co-founder of VCP served in Iraq and Afghanistan During a contemporary roundtable of veterans arrangement organizations hosted by Philip Morris International U S he acknowledged that the tiny-home idea strikes the average civilian as odd Veterans have a different view From a war fighter perspective specifically the global war on terror generation if you had square feet to yourself with air conditioning and running water and all the amenities that our projects have while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan you definitely were doing something right Morales announced For the global war on terror generation these tiny houses are a second home In the present day there are six VCP tiny-home villages serving the estimated veterans who face homelessness each night nationwide One of them was Chris no last name who made an impression on Meyer as he went through the initiative Chris is an Iraq veteran We re around the same age and he became comprehensively street homeless totally cut off from his family no custody rights anything like that Meyer recounted Eventually he came to our Kansas City village After staying in one of the tiny houses and receiving endorsement from the onsite professionals and the public around him Chris detected his way He went on to earn his college degree and he s now a manager in our construction business He can see his kids again and he even just now purchased a home of his own Stories like that are why PMI U S supports VCP and other military-affiliated nonprofits noted J B Simko chief civil society and underage prevention officer VCP Village is a powerful example of what is workable when people come together with purpose and compassion We re proud to see our partnership translate into real impact providing safe dignified housing and a fresh start to those who have served our nation as part of the U S military One challenge often facing efforts to build housing for those struggling with homelessness is NIMBY not in my backyard resistance However Meyer says his projects have been well-received by the communities in which they re located Every single location has actively recruited us Meyer explained We received a lot of interest from the city of Milwaukee who were really interested in bringing Veterans Society Project to their town to their public One supporter of the Wisconsin project is Gov Tony Evers a Democrat from Plymouth Wis who was present for the newest groundbreaking These tiny homes are more than a roof overhead and a safe place to sleep at night they are a foundation that will help restore dignity stability and public for those who have sacrificed so much for all of us Evers reported I have no doubt that our veterans will be in good hands once this tiny home village comes to life This is an fundamental one Milwaukee let us get it done While the houses may be tiny the results have been huge According to VCP the project has an percent success rate for veterans who complete it Chris Woodward writes about industry and instrument for InsideSources com AP Photo Michael Dwyer FileHappy Veterans Day AP