Veterans who had struggled with chronic homelessness have come home.
Jeffrey Sauers, CPI Productions
The development features a 2,400-square-foot management and support building for residents to enjoy a large community room and a game room. It also includes several offices and laundry facilities
They have a found a place of their own at HELP Perry Point Veterans Village, a 75-unit development built on the campus of the Perry Point VA Medical Center in Maryland. The location puts the men and women just steps away from medical care and other important services.
āThis is 100% supportive housing for 75 homeless veterans and their families in an ideal location,ā says David Cleghorn, chief housing officer at HELP USA. āItās a tremendous place for these folks to live and get back on their feet. Thereās no way it could be replicated elsewhere. We built a neighborhood.ā
PROJECT DETAILS
Developer: HELP USA
Architect: Kramer + Marks Architects
General Contractor: Harkins Builders
Major Funders: National Equity Fund; Morgan Stanley; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; The Home Depot Foundation; Citi Community Development; Northrop Grumman; Veterans Affairs; HELP USA
The nonprofit organization demolished severely dilapidated homes on the campus to make way for 33 new duplex buildings. It also completed substantial renovations to nine single-family homes and built a large management and community building. The net zero-energy development includes a 4-acre, 420-kW solar-array field that feeds back into power grid.
Eight units are set aside for residents earning no more than 30% of the area median income (AMI), with the rest at 50% of the AMI. All the units are supported by Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing vouchers.
Built by Harkins Builders, Veterans Village was a 10-year effort that overcame a NIMBY battle with local officials, turmoil in the financial markets, and the need to remediate a contaminated site.
The $23.3 million development was financed largely with 4% low-income housing tax credit equity from National Equity Fund.
