'Tiny homes' project for London war veterans seeks to raise $4M

The group behind a 20-unit tiny dwelling village for homeless veterans in London is hoping to boost no less than $4 million from the neighborhood for the venture, which is predicted to start development this fall.

Houses for Heroes Basis, a Calgary-based charity, is hoping to have its 20 tiny dwelling venture on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Well being Care London’s Parkwood Institute prepared for occupancy by spring or early summer time 2026.

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“The neighborhood has been tremendous welcoming. It’s been all fingers on deck. We’re excited,” mentioned president and chief government Brad Subject.

Houses for Heroes has constructed housing models for homeless veterans in Calgary, Edmonton and Kingston. Every tiny dwelling “village” has 15 to 25 particular person houses, every lower than 300 sq. ft, with all the usual facilities you’d discover in a daily dwelling.

The villages present wrap-around helps to the residents, akin to social staff and psychological well being counselling.

Pictured is the inside of one of many models at 908 ATCO Village, which is a Houses For Heroes Basis venture making a tiny dwelling neighborhood for veterans experiencing homelessness. (Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia file picture)

The London venture has support from all three ranges of presidency and is looking for company and particular person donations from the London neighborhood as effectively, Subject mentioned.

“We’re seeking to increase between 4 and 5 million {dollars} to get the venture finished,” he mentioned. “We’re forming a steering committee within the London space to assist increase funds to make the construct occur. Londoners have been very supportive thus far.”

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The St. Joseph’s property the place the tiny dwelling village might be positioned has a protracted historical past of treating Canada’s veteran inhabitants. A number of pavilions, which at the moment are vacant, had been constructed there by the Division of Veterans Affairs to deal with troopers coming back from the Second World Struggle.

The hospital is already the house of the area’s veterans care program, simply one in all a handful in Ontario offering complicated and persevering with care to the veteran inhabitants, and a modern operational stress damage clinic, which treats navy and first responders experiencing post-traumatic stress dysfunction.

London metropolis corridor monitoring of the native homeless inhabitants, as of Dec. 31, 2024, discovered lower than one per cent are veterans. In line with the identical knowledge, London had roughly 1,595 people experiencing homelessness.

Nationwide, veterans account for about 4.4 per cent of the homeless inhabitants, in keeping with 2018 federal authorities knowledge.

At his State of the Metropolis tackle in January, Mayor Josh Morgan introduced metropolis corridor could be partnering with St. Joseph’s and Houses for Heroes on the tiny dwelling village.

Town will use cash from the federal housing accelerator fund, $74 million London acquired in 2023 from Ottawa, to assist the venture.

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