A transitional housing community with 50 homes for veterans experiencing homelessness is in the works for South Dallas.
Dallas City Council approved a development agreement with the nonprofit organization Veterans Community Project on Wednesday. The project will be located at 4515 S Lancaster Road, across the way from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department and the VA North Texas Health Care System.
The location is the site of the failed Patriots Crossing Project, a housing community that ended up costing the city over $4 million to purchase the land. That lot has been vacant for more than a decade.
Council Member Maxie Johnson said he had worked to bring the project to life since he was elected last year.
"I believe that if you have served this country and you're a veteran, we should not have our veterans homeless," Johnson said. "No veterans should be homeless. We ought to take care of our veterans."
The Veterans Community Project's program is designed to transition veterans from homelessness to sustainable, permanent housing.
The homes range from 260-square-foot individual homes to 360-square-foot family units and will be pet-friendly — with a dog park on the grounds. A 7,000-square-foot community facility will offer comprehensive on-site support with full-time case managers to help residents work toward permanent housing.
Council Member Cara Mendelson — who wore red, white, and blue for the occasion — congratulated Johnson on his efforts.
"A lot of people looked at trying to do something in that area for homelessness, but you made it happen," Mendelsohn said. "And you did it really quickly."
She also noted its proximity to the VA center and said she felt the community would help a lot of people.
An estimated completion date has not been announced. Veterans Community Project said in a statement that construction would begin once additional funding is secured and it would be delivered in four phases.
Phase one will focus on sitework, phase two will build the first 25 homes and hiring will begin for local staff and welcoming the first veterans into the community. Phases three and four will complete the remaining homes and the community facility.
Bryan Meyer is the CEO and co-founder of Veterans Community Project. He is also a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
He said in a statement that communities reveal what they value by what they build.
“This project represents that Dallas stepped forward and decided that Veteran homelessness was its problem to solve," Meyer said. "This Village will be more than a collection of homes; it will be a visible reminder that this community values its Veterans and is willing to invest in them.”
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