Veterans Community Project is expanding.
This Veterans Day - the day annual Stand Down events take place nationwide - VCP announced its next $10 million expansion to its tiny-homes village and community center - the Navigation Campus.
"The pandemic changed everything for us," Wes Williams, VCP's director of veteran services, said, "and we really saw the writing on the wall as we started to see what the calls that were coming in were looking like."
Calls for food insecurity and job instability signaled there could be a lot of veterans at risk of experiencing homelessness.
“That's some thing that I'm super proud of because those guys are not guys that really needed to come and live in our tiny houses," Williams said. "They just needed that extra hand for a short amount of time and we're able to give that to them and give them that security again."
The campus will replace an auto repair shop and dealership on the northeast corner of East 89th Street and Troost Avenue, near the VCP’s tiny home village and headquarters. The organization also operates an outreach center in the same area.
The Navigation Campus will expedite access resources and work to help veterans find their next mission in life. The campus, according to VCP CEO Bryan Meyer, will be modeled after the centralized location on military bases, which help service members with military matters. The key difference is that this campus will focus on civilian life and will provide information on how to access health care, find a job or even join a veterans-specific organization.
“Basically do all of the things that are necessary to rescue people from falling through the gaps of the system and not allow anyone to fall through those cracks,” Jason Kander, with VCP, said. "We want this place to be a veteran's first and last stop."
Meyer said the goal is to help veterans as soon as they contact VC
"You might have one opportunity of somebody asking for help and you have to immediately be able to say yes I can help you, not maybe or not we don't do that here or let me run some paperwork,” Meyer said.
Williams agreed.
“You fought for this country and raised your right hand for this country and you deserve to get the help that you need,” Williams said.
This #VeteransDay2020 @VCP_HQ announces it will build a new Navigational Campus at 89 & Troost to offer complete wrap around services for veterans. pic.twitter.com/ieX6EP8GFD
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) November 11, 2020
Construction on the new campus should begin within the next few months. It will open in about a year and a half, but VCP will offer services during the construction timeline.
VCP continues to raise money to fund the new campus.
The organization already helps veterans with housing through its tiny homes project, which is in the process of expanding to other cities.
