Groundbreaking soon for veterans village

Five years after receiving state money, ground is finally set to be broken this summer for a village for homeless veterans in Shelton.

The Shelton Veteran's Village will feature seven four-plexes, two duplexes and a community center on a triangle of land leased from the City of Shelton on North 13th Street in the Mountain View area, near Olympic College Shelton. Homeless veterans from Shelton and Mason County will be given preference in housing. Construction is expected to be completed in April 2023.

That's the update the Shelton City Council heard at its March 1 meeting.

The prep work for construction is set for June, with construction expected to take 10 months, Colleen Carmichael, executive director of Quixote Communities, told the council.

Carmichael recently joined Quixote Communities, which also has tiny villages in Olympia and Orting. She said she knows it has been "frustrating" for the city for the project to be extended for years, but progress is now being made.

"We want you to be proud of this project and we're grateful to the City of Shelton," she said.

In 2017, the state gave the Olympia nonprofit organization $3 million for the project. The city leased the nonprofit about 3 acres of city land at 2741 N. 13th St across the street from Christmas Village.

Some residents stepped up to the microphone at council meetings to oppose the plan. Some said they worried the veterans would pose a threat to children passing by on their way to four nearby schools, and to the seniors at Christmas Village.

Meanwhile, the cost of construction continued to climb. The nonprofit abandoned its vision of 30 separate tiny homes - the layout of the Olympia village - and redesigned it for fourplexes and duplexes to save money.

Residents will pay 30% of their income. The Housing Trust Fund, the Federal Home Loan Bank, Mason County, Norcliffe Foundation, Puget Sound Energy and the Medina Foundation are all contributing money. Vouchers will offset 40% of the operating costs, estimated at $400,000 per year.

Eligible residents must be at least 18 years old and be a veteran without a dishonorable discharge. Sex offenders, people convicted of recent violent crimes, or people convicted of manufacturing meth are prohibited. Violence will not be tolerated, and residents will be screened for drugs.

Even with all those eligibility requirements, "We're trying to screen people in, not screen people out, for having zero income or a bad credit score," said Jaycie Osterberg, the group's associate director. "Those are not things we care about."

Two caseworkers and a site supervisor will work at the village, Carmichael said. WorkSource will help residents get jobs, and The Saints' Pantry Food Bank in downtown Shelton will help provide food, she said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will also provide case management, Osterberg said. Residents can receive recovery services from Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Northwest Resources, she said.

Residents can gather in the community center.

"Part of overall well-being is having a social component as well, barbecues, movie nights, things like that," Osterberg said.

The Mason Conservation District is helping develop a community garden at the site, Carmichael said.