Veterans Village taking shape

After about five years of discussions and planning, the Shelton Veterans Village is taking shape on North 13th Street near Olympic College Shelton, with a planned opening for 30 homeless veterans next summer.

A crew from Forma Construction this week is erecting the framework for the village's community building on 3 acres leased from the City of Shelton. The village will feature seven four-plexes and one duplex.

The nonprofit organization Quixote Communities also has tiny home villages in Olympia and Orting.

Local homeless veterans can likely begin to apply for residency this spring through Crossroads Housing at 360-490-6510, the local "coordinated entry system," Colleen Carmichael, executive director of Quixote Communities, said in an interview with the Journal. That agency will oversee the waiting list and contact Quixote about potential residents, she said.

Applicants must be veterans, pass urinalysis and background checks, and make 50% or less of the area medium income, Carmichael said. Residents must sign a code of conduct with their lease, which prohibits violence, weapons, drugs and other illegal behaviors, she said. Residents will pay 30% of their income in rent.

The nonprofit received a $1 million grant from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund for the project. Quixote Communities also received capital funding from Mason County, the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Northcliffe Foundation, Medina Foundation, and Project-Based Vouchers and VASH Vouchers from the Bremerton Housing Authority. The nonprofit also received support from the city. Former State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, championed the project from its inception.

Carmichael talks about homelessness during public comments at most Shelton City Council meetings. Some people are focusing on the public behaviors of a few homeless people downtown who are in "severe crisis," she said.

"Unfortunately, they become the poster children for all the people who are suffering homelessness," she said.

With help and other resources, the veterans at the villages in Olympia and Orting are working "to get their lives back on track," Carmichael said. The group hopes in the next month to hire a licensed behavioral health specialist who will work with all three villages, she said.

In a statement, Carmichael wrote, "There is a lot of stigma and fear surrounding homelessness. We are working to educate the public on how homelessness can happen to anyone and what we can do to help those experiencing it. It's hard to be in the throes of homelessness and living on a 24-hour clock, not knowing where you will get your next meal or be able to store your possessions, let alone find a job, shower, or travel to a doctor's appointment. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live and at Quixote Villages we strive to provide an environment for our residents to have a real community where they feel like they belong."