Tiny House Veteran's Village

After the Raffle event on Saturday (see “Conversation with Kathy…” blog post) Dave and I drove by the site of the Tiny House Village.  We were moved by what we saw.  Here is the story:

Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin

Three years ago, Jeff Gustin, a normal guy and veteran (as described by both Kathy and Steffane), started finding and delivering used furniture to veterans “because he found they needed it.”  As he did this he asked them what else they needed.  He found out that they needed clothing and food.  And he soon added “housing” to the list.

Tiny Houses

The Village Coming Together

He partnered with Matthew Vachalik and together they launched this project of building a tiny house village for Veterans.  Over the past year they purchased the office and property from a Teamsters Union Local on a street very near Dave and My laundromat (see “Olympia Brown and the Laundromat” blog) and around the corner from a handsome tree-lined residential neighborhood.  They then set to work and cleaned up and updated the building.  It now has a food pantry, room with clothing, bathroom, showers, and full kitchen as well as the offices.  It is this building that Dave and I walk into.  There at the front counter is Steffane Timm.  She is a Army Vet and Munitions Specialist.  With enthusiasm, she jumps up and takes us on a tour.  We head through the building and out the back where we find the village.  Here are 15 tiny houses.  Each is the same design: 7’ x 15’ interior, with a bed (lofted in most, Murphy in houses for disabled vets), refrigerator, drawers, closet, microwave, coffee maker and flat screen TV. However, the materials vary with the donations.

Life in the Village

Community Center Kitchen

Steffane and Peter

The residents will use the community center (the back half of the main building) for kitchen, bathroom and showers, and community social room.  Jeff and his board are still finalizing the rules, but they will include the following: This is transitional housing -- training and support will be provided on-site to help residents find a permanent home. The goal is to transition within two years.  The houses are for singles only with service animals considered on a case-by-case basis.

Each house has been built by a different group: three high schools have each built one, Home Depot built one at their store, veterans and community members have built others like a Habitat for Humanity project.  Funding is expected from the VA to help with the purchase of the property and the program.  “The Federal grant money has not arrived quite yet because the government wants to pay for projects rather than ideas.” Private local fundraising is also helping -- our Raffle Dinner and a “Buy a Brick” campaign.

When’s the Move-in Date?

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be November 5th.  Vets will then move in 5 at a time over the next couple of months.

We ask Steffane if they believe this will be a trend for Veteran housing across the country.  She says “Yes.”  This is the first, although there is also one in Kansas City that is taking shape.  “But Jeff was recently in Miami.  He was invited to speak at the National Mayor’s Conference.  They are very interested in his project and looking for these types of solutions.”  Dave chimes in that this could work for non-veteran homeless as well, “But veterans are a great place to start.”

-- Peter