KANSAS CITY, Mo. — January 31, the VCP moved 13 veterans into its tiny home community at 89th and Troost. In just seven months, eight of them have already transitioned into permanent housing.
"I think it's our intensive case management and our wraparound services that we provide on a daily basis," VCP CEO Chris Stout, said. "We try to do the 50/50 approach. We spend about half our time on the health and well-being. The other half of our time on the social and the life. You know getting their credit, legal issues and the finances all up to par."
Phase two is underway, with 13 new tiny homes under construction at the site. One of the original residents, Michael Gilmore, said, "It's helped me to do exactly what I'm supposed to do, move forward in life. It's just absolutely incredible."
Concrete is already poured for phase three, close to two dozen additional tiny homes. In all, the VCP will have 49 homes.
To people who want to help, Stout shared, "Obviously the monetary ways to help because that helps us provide those wraparound services, but also just come and volunteer. We need people to help with resume writing, the job training. Right now, we're building 13 more houses. We need people to come out and swing hammers."
For more information, go to the Veterans Community Project website.
More than 600 cities have contacted the VCP to come set up there or teach them how to replicate what its founders have created in Kansas City. Right now, locations are in progress in:
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Longmont, Colorado
- Jonesboro, Arkansas
Stout told 41 Action News this is all thanks to this community because, "The reality is, Kansas City made this possible for everywhere else across the country."
