Donation Funds Veterans Community Project for Homeless Veterans

December 8, 2016

Group shoots for mid-March move in date to get homeless Veterans into houses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Veterans United Foundation donated $50,000 to provide the final piece of fundraising needed to get the Veterans Community Project neighborhood in Kansas City started. The neighborhood, situated on 4.2 acres of land at Troost Avenue and 89th Street, will be comprised of tiny houses that will provide transitional housing to homeless Veterans.

We have 10 houses in the works that will be ready for occupancy this spring, said Bryan Meyer, Veterans Community Project's chief legal officer. However, we didn't have the needed sewer system or infrastructure on the property to support the houses. Thanks to the employees at Veterans United Home Loans, homeless Veterans in our community will have a place to call home very soon.

Each tiny house has a bathroom, bed, desk and kitchen. A community of 50 tiny-homes and a community center are planned for the neighborhood. The houses will be used as transitional housing for homeless Veterans. Services such as food and utilities will also be provided at no cost for a period of time.

Our employees help make homeownership a reality for Veterans and service members each day, said Greg Steinhoff, executive director of Veterans United Foundation. Any project that benefits Veterans and improves their quality of life is of great benefit to communities that foster them, especially projects that focus on eliminating homeliness. This is definitely something we wanted to be part of.

Veterans Community Project Chief Executive Officer Chris Stout said now that funding is in place for the sewer system, crews will work through the winter months installing the necessary sewer lines in order to meet their mid-March move in date.

"From the time we started this mission, it has been all about getting Veterans into houses," said Stout. "Now that we are in the home stretch, it's time to spring across the finish line."

In addition to Veterans United Foundation, several other organizations have donated to the project, including United Auto Workers 249, Home Depot, Mitsubishi, Teague Electric, United Heating and Cooling, Bernstein Rein, A3G Architects and Verio, Taliaferro and Browne.