KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. She also focuses on issues regarding scams. Share your story idea with Megan.
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St. Michael's Veterans Center in Kansas City has completed its original campus master plan with the opening of Valor House, the third and final building on its campus. The $40 million project now provides 179 veterans with permanent, affordable housing.
"One hundred seventy-nine veterans have a permanent, affordable, dignified place to live," said Executive Director Susan Engel.
Valor House, the newest building, houses more than 60 veterans. A total of 62 veterans have been or will be welcomed to Valor House this year. The center accepts applications on a rolling basis and looks to add about 20 new veterans each year.
The campus has been more than a decade in the making.
"For 15 years we've been trying to get the funding together to build the buildings in different stages, and we've built the buildings now," Engel said.
The model centers on stability and community. Veterans pay 30% of their income to live on campus, and federal vouchers cover the rest. The center reports a 98% permanent housing retention rate, with 90% of residents choosing to stay year after year.
Since 2024, KSHB 41 has reported on the veterans center's growth.
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Engel says the completion of the final building is what promises kept and a mission complete looks like.
"We have a really high retention rate, 90% of veterans choose to live on the campus," Engel said.
The impact goes beyond a roof and a bed.
"A new veteran, a young father, [had] been living in his car. When he moved in, he was out riding bikes with his kid," Engel said.
Edward Bohannon, a U.S. Air Force veteran, received his keys to a Valor House unit in January. He described what it felt like to suddenly find himself without a home after a period of stability.
"Before that, I was doing just fine," he said. "I bought the cars and the houses and the whole scene, then I found myself homeless. I had a bicycle and backpack to move around in."
He said accepting help was not easy at first.
"Almost ashamed to take the help," Bohannon said.
Now, Bohannon says every sunrise brings something new.
"Oh, please, this is heaven," Bohannon said.
For Bohannon, the sense of community has been just as meaningful as having a place to live.
"When you're homeless ... you're like a bird in the wind just fluttering place to place," Bohannon said. "But here is a community. I have friends next door."
Even the small details of daily life feel significant.
"First time in my life everything was brand new," Bohannon said.
Engel said the completion of the campus represents something rare.
"This is one of the most important projects this team has worked on because how often do you get to see a problem and know a solution?" Engel said.
Seeing that solution play out every day keeps her motivated.
"Every day I'm just so grateful that I get to see this…" Engel said. "People feel human, and that is so important and powerful and fulfilling to me."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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