Arizona Housing Fund bolsters Glendale, Mesa tiny homes
Both projects for homeless
(Submitted Photo/Veterans Community Project)
Work continues on the village center of the Veterans Community Project Village in Glendale, which will have 50 tiny homes available for veterans experiencing homelessness. The Arizona Housing Fund Recently donates $300,000 to the project.
(Submitted Photo/La Mesa Ministries)
The Arizona Housing Fund recently gave $100,000 grant for Eden Village of Arizona in Mesa, seen in a rendering above. The tiny home village is for adults with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness.
As the Arizona Housing Fund celebrates its seventh anniversary, the initiative created to fund additional housing for Arizonans experiencing homelessness provided three new grants totaling $500,000 in October.
Veterans Community Project received a $250,000 grant for VCP Village in Glendale, Old Pueblo Community Services received a $150,000 grant for Water Street Apartments in Tucson, and La Mesa Ministries received a $100,000 grant for Eden Village of Arizona in Mesa.
“Each of these grant recipients has a proven track record of serving Arizona’s most vulnerable residents,” Arizona Housing Fund Founder Howard Epstein stated in a press release. “Thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors, this latest round of grants will help hundreds of Arizonans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness find a safe place to call home.”
Veterans Community Project of Glendale — The Arizona Housing Fund provided a $250,000 grant toward this project, which will include 50 fully furnished tiny homes offering transitional housing for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Each village resident works one with their dedicated case manager, who uses VCP’s H.O.M.E.S. Index to guide wraparound support such as health and wellness, opportunity for education and training, money management, earnings, and support network, all working together to help each veteran transition to stable, permanent housing of their own.
The city of Glendale donated the land, with additional funding and support from Maricopa County, the state of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Housing, LISC, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Sanderson Ford, BHHS Legacy Foundation, QuikTrip, USAA and the Arizona Veterans Donation Fund, among others.
The first five homes are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027, with the first five veterans expected to move in during the spring. VCP operates Villages in Kansas City and St. Louis; Longmont, Colo.; and Sioux Falls, S.D. with new villages in development in Milwaukee, and recently announced in Dallas. This is the home site for the Glendale project.
“The Arizona Housing Fund grant moves us measurably closer to opening our Veterans Community”, stated Rebecca Tallman, USAF, Ret., VCP of Glendale interim executive director. “Once our homes are open, Veterans who have been sleeping in cars, shelters or on the streets will have a safe, private place of their own, along with case management services to help them overcome the barriers that led to homelessness and transition to permanent housing. For many, it will be the first time in a long time that they have a key in their pocket, a door that locks, and a community of fellow Veterans who truly understand them.”
La Mesa Ministries, Eden Village of Arizona in Mesa — AZHF provided a $100,000 grant toward this project, which will include 21 fully furnished, 476-square-foot permanent supportive tiny homes for individuals with disabilities who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Residents will pay $400 per month, including utilities.
A 3,693-square-foot community center will offer gathering spaces, educational classes and access to case management and other support services. Eden Village partnered with Circle the City to provide on-site physical and mental healthcare for residents. La Mesa Ministries has been serving this population for more than 12 years. Additional funders include The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation, LISC, the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Neely Foundation and the Dobson Foundation. Completion is scheduled in the first quarter od 2027. https://edenvillagearizona.org/
“From my 50 years in the home building industry, I’ve learned the hardest part to complete in any project is the last 10%. The Arizona Housing Fund has just made it a little easier,” stated Rick McClellan, Executive Director of Eden Village of Arizona. “Yes, we are building some beautiful homes, but much more than that, we are building a community. Housing will not solve homelessness, but community will. Our residents will be blessed with a new place to call home, but more than that, they will begin to have purpose and meaning in belonging in a community that cares.”
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