St. Michael’s Veterans Center, Inc. had a groundbreaking ceremony on September 25th to celebrate Phase I of their close to $40 million project.
This unique campus is being developed specifically to address the needs of at-risk military veterans by creating an environment with safe, quality housing and customized support services, including case management and counseling. There will even be a special “honor” garden to honor those who have served in the armed forces. The proximity to the VA Medical Center makes this the ideal location to assist veterans with housing, supportive services and medical needs.
State Senator Jason Holsman and State Rep Joe Runion
Phase I will have 58 units of affordable housing at a cost of $11 million. Total project costs for the entire campus at full build out is estimated to be $35-$40 million, resulting in 180 units of housing and 10,000 square feet of office space for supportive services.
In June 2011, St. Michael’s Veterans Center, Inc. was selected in response to a Request for Proposals and Qualifications issued for redevelopment of the Holy Temple Homes Site, located one mile west of the Kansas City VA Medical Center. LCRA accepted title to the parcels in order to facilitate the redevelopment.
EDC Development Services Specialist, Jenna Wilkinson, assisted St. Michael’s Veterans Center through the process, which included approval of the Seven Oaks Urban Renewal Area and 10 years of tax abatement for Phase I by the Board of Commissioners.
The U.S. Veterans Administration estimates there are 1,800 homeless veterans in the Kansas City area every night. That accounts for more than a third of the city’s homeless population even though veterans represent only a tenth of the population as a whole, according to veterans’ advocate Art Fillmore. “Some of these people are serving six, seven, eight tours and it creates a very dysfunctional atmosphere for their personal life when they come home.”
“This is going to be a place where the veterans are going to be a community,” Fillmore said. “We’ve nicknamed the project; we’ve given it the tag name ‘The Homes for the Brave,’ and that’s what it is. It’s people who have done their service for the country. They fulfilled their contract with America and America hasn’t done its part for them, so we’re going to try to fill that void.”
Click here for more information about services available to veterans in Kansas City.
Sources:
KCVeterans.org
KansasLegalServices.org
US Department of Veterans Affairs