Tiny-home village will house at-risk veterans
With two regiments and a naval vessel bearing the Calgary name, it should be no surprise the city has a long, storied military history. And a local non-profit is hoping to build on that military tradition by helping house Canadian veterans facing homelessness.
The Homes for Heroes Foundation unveiled plans Wednesday for its village of affordable tiny homes in Bridgeland, a project aimed at housing the estimated 160 homeless veterans in Calgary.
Built by Calgary-based ATCO in a hanger that was once part of Calgary ’s Currie Barracks, the housing community will feature 20 private micro-homes with all the amenities of a larger house, only scaled down into a tiny package.
David Howard, co-founder and president of Homes for Heroes, said the charity is working with other cities and the Calgary village “is one step of many ” that will help house Canada’s more than 2,500 homeless or at-risk veterans.
“We are confident we can end the homeless issue facing our veterans — we can do that within a 10-year period,” Howard said.
The village will provide full-service care for veterans struggling to reintegrate to civilian life and assist with recovering from physical and mental issues brought on by service in the Armed Forces.
The Mustard Seed has partnered with the foundation to lend support to the village’s on-site resource centre, helping former servicemen and women suffering from what Murray McCann with Homes for Heroes and Field of Crosses called “invisible wounds.”
“Calgarians love their soldiers and they love their veterans and this is an opportunity to show the love that they have,” McCann said. “And, believe me, when we get our first village, it’s going to be phenomenal.”
Howard, who helped start the Veterans Food Bank, said work on the village’s homes has already begun and he expects the project will be fully underway by the fall.
Each of the 20 homes will be named after a Canadian Armed Forces member who died while serving in Afghanistan. ATCO donated $1.5 million to the project and Howard said a number of local businesses and residents also donated funds to the village.
Howard said the foundation is already working on its second village, to be built in Edmonton where an estimated 240 homeless veterans are located.
“The fact is we cannot let these soldiers suffer any longer. There’s no excuse for it,” he said. “They put their life on the line for us, we have to be there for them.”