We understand that we cannot end homelessness in the veteran community, but we CAN & WILL make an impact. We are hoping to help 1000 homeless military veterans get off the streets and on the road to recovery
The Veterans Village of Northeast Florida, Inc. (VVNEFL) will be creating & maintaining a tiny house community for our homeless military veterans. This community will have all the resources that our homeless veterans will need to not only live a better life but to integrate back into society and the workforce if they are able to do so. This community will be open to all Active Duty Members, Veterans & their families to use not only the resources but to also enjoy everything this veteran’s community will have to offer. We are seeking 125 acres in Northeast Florida which to begin this venture. 100 acres will be for houses, therapies, resources. While the other 25 is for sustainable income to continue the mission of the VVNEFL.
The tiny houses will be built in groups of 12. Each group will have a central Care Center with a Full Kitchen, Living Room, Shower, Baths, Washrooms, & Laundry Rooms. All houses will be compliant with Florida building codes including 4ft metal tie-downs that are set in concrete then welded to the container house. Each tiny house will have a bed, couch, fold-a-way table, TV with internet access, A/C unit, heating, & fan as well as a porch & a small yard. We are looking to give our veterans a safe, dry place to call home. We will also have Barrack Style Houses, Apartment Style & Single-Family Spaces for an affordable house alternative for our Veterans that will income-based.
In addition to the areas mentioned above, we want to have a 5-acre fenced area with a separate entrance for military couples built to the same design as above but with more square footage to accommodate two people. We will also be helping the single parents with children by having both a woman veteran with children section & a male veteran with children section that will come together with a play area for the children & families to come together. Additional acreage will be fenced with a separate secured entrance for our emergency women veterans shelter with only female volunteers working it. Each unit will be the 160 sq ft container house but will have its own community house with kitchen, restrooms, living room, etc. to ensure our women veterans have a safe place to begin the healing process.
At the very heart of the Veterans Village, we are looking to build a 2 to 4-acre Town Center offering as many services as we can for our veterans. The Town Center will feature a large Cafeteria that will be used for serving meals to the group (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner). In addition, there will be a full kitchen that all veterans can use to cook for themselves & others as well as a food bank that will help to ensure no veteran is food-deprived. Also included in the plans are medical clinic, a chapel/temple and library. The Town Center will also feature a clothing center to help our veterans get clean & updated clothes as well as a barbershop – all geared towards restoring dignity & pride in a population that is too often deprived of both.
We will be developing 5 acres as a food and vegetable garden, bee colony, in which we are speaking to local restaurants to sell veteran grown vegetables, fruits & honey too. Animal farm for our veterans to work as both therapy & a way to have fresh items to eat and sell to keep the community sustainable.
Throughout the property, we will have memorial walls to honor all who served. One of the things we are most proud of will be the Veterans Museum where the veterans will have an opportunity to record their stories for future generations. We are accepting items from the veteran’s community to place in the museum. No motor vehicles permitted within the Village, we will have golf carts, scooters, and bicycles for our veterans to get around and take part in activities. The property will have an obstacle course, a barbecue picnic area, fire pits, outdoor relaxation areas, and ponds to fish and swim in as well as another 5 acres of undeveloped land that will feature nature trails.
We will not be charging our homeless veterans to live in or use the resources in this community; however, we will require those who are able to help around the property to do so in some capacity. This community is open to all Military Veterans. We understand that we cannot end homelessness in the veteran community, but we CAN & WILL make an impact. We are hoping to help 1000 homeless military veterans get off the streets and on the road to recovery – starting this year.