KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a jiffy, the Veterans Community Project celebrated the completion of its small home town at East 89th Street and Troost Avenue.
The milestone was years in the making. What started as a mission to house homeless veterans has evolved into a full range of support services, from medical care to free bus passes.
The Veterans Community Project, or VCP, was founded in November 2015 and the first house was planted on the site in April 2016.
Less than two years later, the first 13 veterans moved out in January 2018.
Fast forward two years, and the project has reached another milestone: completion.
To date, there are 49 tiny homes on the property and a full-service community center with everything from a dental and medical office to a veterinary clinic, but project manager Brandonn Mixon said “the mission doesn’t is not over”.
“Our mission is not complete until we solve homelessness for all veterans in the United States,” Mixon said.
In 2019 alone, 44 homeless veterans were housed at the VCP and 13 successfully transitioned. Over 5,000 meal kits have been distributed and 4,000 bus passes have provided over 2 million free rides.
Sergeant Eric Bishop. who lives in one of the small houses, told 41 Action News that the VCP “threw a lifeline to me.”
“It’s the first time I’ve had a lifeline thrown at me and I took it,” Bishop said.
Next, the VCP plans to expand to eight additional US cities over the next three years, including a second location in Colorado where the VCP plans to innovate next spring.
More than 37,000 veterans have “experienced homelessness” in January 2019according to the point count conducted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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