While veterans may be trained to face and survive the hardships of war, many returnees have found it very difficult readjusting to civilian life, struggling with different problems, such as homelessness, after leaving their life in uniform. To help them with their present battles, a non-profit organization based in Kansas is breaking ground by providing houses for them.
The Veterans Community Project, an organization founded by three veterans, is helping displaced brothers and sisters-at-arms face the challenges of returning to life outside of the military, by providing them decent homes to live in. Chris Stout, the organization’s co-founder, believes that by eliminating the problems of where to sleep, where to eat, and how to pay bills for veterans by giving them places to stay, allows former servicemen to address the more important issues they need to fix in their lives, such as mental health issues and addiction issues.
The houses in VCP’s Veterans Village are far from just being mere shelters, they are actual homes, complete with the essentials, including a bedroom, kitchen, heat and AC. According to Stout, this set-up, compared to group-living shelters commonly provided for the homeless, is more appropriate for war veterans, given that some of them suffer from social anxiety disorder or PTSD, conditions that make it difficult for them to be around people.
Slowly, the Veterans Village is growing, with more than 13 houses already completed and another 37 being built, all funded with donations from various sources. The group has gotten the support of the Kansas City government, with 500 cities expressing interest in starting similar villages, and Nashville already building a similar project for veterans in their community.
As of now, 13 former personnel live in the tiny Kansas City Veterans Village rent-free, while they work with an on-site case manager to help them get the treatment and services they need.
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