In an effort to meet the needs of veterans who are homeless, a coalition of Bend organizations is proposing to construct a veteran’s village adjacent to the County Sheriff’s campus on Poe Sholes road in Northeast Bend.
Erik Tobiason, President Bend Heroes Foundation, shared plans for the housing project with the BANA meeting Oct. 14. He said the design is based on a similar project in Clackamas that has had success over the past year in aiding veterans to gain services, regain health, save money and transition to independent living.
He provided a 3 minute video on that project Clackamas.us/transitionalhousing
Construction of fifteen tiny homes and a community building is set to begin in December. Mountain View Heating which had purchased kit homes for another project is donating the homes. They will have toilets and heat. The community building will have showers, a kitchen area and offices for the support services including job training.
Residents of the adjacent subdivision to the west of the village expressed concerns about the impact of the new residents and other homeless persons it might attract. Tobiason said Central Oregon Veterans Outreach would work with the neighbors to address their concerns.
He said the property would be gated and there will be a code of conduct regarding guests and activities. There will be staff at the facility seven days / week.
As with the Clackamas project the goal is to aid residents in gaining skills so they may transition to independent living.