Construction is moving along at a rapid pace at the St. Michaels Veterans residential and support facility! The center is being built on land that was the former site of a decrepit 198-unit public housing unit that was torn down years ago.
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.”
The challenges faced by veterans from previous wars and current conflicts when they leave active duty are well documented. The St. Michael’s campus is designed to help veterans meet those challenges, inside a campus of quality housing and an array of customized services to provide for the specific needs of our Veterans.
The residential units will provide veterans a secure living environment that promotes self-reliance in a fully sustainable setting. Supportive services designed to be responsive to veterans’ special needs will be available. Each resident will pay a fee for housing based upon income, in accordance with federal regulation. There will be strict guidelines regarding sobriety and behavior. The goal for supportive housing is to maximize opportunities for veterans to recover a stable, healthy lifestyle and succeed at reentry into community living.
St. Michael’s Veterans Center will be developed in a number of phases. The initial phases of development are as follows:
St. Michael’s Housing Phase I – Phase I of St. Michael’s campus is 58 units of one-bedroom apartment homes. Land preparation and infrastructure improvements began in 2012, with building construction to beginning during in the Summer of 2013. Construction completion and initial occupancy is anticipated in the Spring of 2014.
St. Michael’s Housing Phase II – 59 one and two-bedroom apartment homes with ancillary community and management space – slated to begin in 2014.
Campus Welcome & Support Services Center – This building will contain case management and counseling services for veterans that live on and off the campus. Community meeting rooms and other resources will be available for use by residents of surrounding neighborhoods. This facility will be designed to provide activity areas for support services, community activities and administrative functions. This building is slated to begin construction in 2014.
St. Michael’s Housing Phase III – 50-60 apartment homes with ancillary community and management space – slated to begin 2015.
Supportive Services
Catholic Charities of Kansas City – St. Joseph will be the lead services provider on the St. Michael’s campus, and intends to utilize the strengths-based model of case management services. This is anticipated to include assessing strengths in the following areas: housing, transportation, health, vocational, educational, financial, insurance, family and relationships, social support, leisure, spirituality, and culture. Program participants are provided support by a case manager who works with them to set and achieve their self-determined goals focused on maintaining their permanent housing, education, life skills, increasing their base income through employment and/or mainstream resources, credit repair, and strengthening support networks. Furthermore, community resources are recommended to help form a comprehensive plan of long-term stability.
Catholic Charities will coordinate supportive services through internal agency programs or in coordination with community partners which may include the Veterans Administration and other social service organizations.
Supportive services are expected to be funded through a combination of existing programming offered by Catholic Charities, new programming resulting from successful grants, and partnerships that bring funded programming to the campus.
A Great Public-Private-nonprofit partnership
A proven team of private firms and community partners has been assembled, each of whom has the experience and dedication to successfully design and complete an undertaking of this scope and purpose.
City, State and Federal agencies are playing not just key roles, but indispensable roles in visioning, coordinating, funding and implementing viable, long range solutions for the unmet needs of those who served in our country’s military.
A Valuable Reinvestment in Our Community
St. Michael’s Veterans Center will serve the survival and life improvement needs of those who have served our country. This project will redevelop a long unproductive tract in an important area of our City, and will help the City of Kansas City, MHDC, and other agencies fulfill their missions.
This development will create jobs, it is supported by the neighborhoods in which it is located, and it serves the local area through a re-purposing of a difficult to develop site. The services targeted for St. Michael’s Veterans Center will be provided by one of Kansas City’s most experienced not-for-profit social services agencies – Catholic Charities.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!
The plans for St. Michael’s Veterans Center include the creation of an Honor Garden to enhance the campus landscape and give tribute to all veterans, while also providing a place for relaxation and respite. This garden is to be funded by private contributions. Contributions have commenced, but there is still opportunity for individuals, foundations, or corporations to participate in the funding of the Honor Garden.
Questions, volunteer inquiries or contributions (they are tax deductible) should be directed to:
Carrie Rosetti, Executive Director
St. Michael’s Veterans Center
(816) 221-4377
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Click here for more information about services available to veterans in Kansas City.
Sources:
KCVeterans.org
KansasLegalServices.org
US Department of Veterans Affairs