$14 million project to provide homeless veterans with affordable housing

A more than $14 million project will provide homeless veterans with affordable housing options in Minneapolis.

Construction crews are already on their way to creating one hundred new apartments for homeless vets. But it's going to be much more than a place to live - it will be a community to help them survive.

Iraqi War veteran Tim Moore is one of hundreds in Minnesota that ended up homeless after serving our country overseas.

“There were physical injuries and there were also emotional injuries that I was unaware of. Ultimately, yes I became homeless,” said Tim Moore, a veteran.

“Many veterans can relate that when you come back from combat, you don't have the support of your unit anymore, your team that you worked with, you don't have that anymore, you're on your own,” said Moore.

But the construction site of dirt and weeds will soon be a home for one hundred homeless veterans. They'll also find access to healthcare, education and job training. It will be a new beginning.

“The pride that they have in having something they can call their own is something that we should continue to work our very hardest towards,” said Pat Kelly of the Minneapolis VA Health System.

“As we know, some vets after they return home to our country, need help in return for their sacrifice and their service. And this project is a premier example of how we can help,” said Warren Hanson of the Minnesota Equity Fund.

There has been a big push to bring homeless veterans off the streets and into affordable housing.  Since January 2015, 600 Minnesota homeless vets have found homes. There are 219 more to go.

“Equally disturbing and being a veteran myself, equally disturbing is that so many veterans that have sacrificed for our nation live in these conditions seeking help and services to lift them back up,” said Besty Nemyer of UnitedHealthcare Military and Veterans.

This isn't the end. The efforts to lend a hand to returning veterans will continue long after this project is complete.

“It's not like the war is over, it's still happening. And there's still going to be vets coming back with issues and problems,” said Moore.

The building is set to be complete in the summer of 2017. The project is funded by a mixture of private and public money.