San Antonio, July 6, 2009 - The American GI Forum Residential Center for Homeless Veterans, already an acclaimed national model for transforming the lives of homeless, is soon to complete two new expansion projects, an addition of 30 single room apartments and a Work Center to create job opportunities for the residents.
The 30 new apartments will specifically house disabled homeless veterans. The project expected to be completed by September, 2009 is described “as an exciting new opportunity for services that are critically needed in our community” says Carlos Martinez, Chief Executive Officer of the American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program, Inc., non-profit owners of the facility. The Single Room Occupancy (SRO) apartments will also provide residents with an array of support services to help them in their recovery and eventual transformation into mainstream housing. The housing is for independent living with support services, but it does not provide nursing care or assisted living.
The $2.3 million RO expansion project was made possible through a primary grant from Haven for Hope of Bexar County, a non-profit entity that is currently involved in developing what many call a “cutting-edge” comprehensive campus system that will serve all the homeless individuals and families in San Antonio, Texas. The SRO project was also provided critical “capstone” funding support by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, an institution that was also a major funding source for the existing Residential Center for Homeless Veterans.
“The confidence that these people and agencies have in our ability to meet the service needs of the veterans is inspiring” said Mr. Martinez. He added, “On behalf of the veterans that will benefit from this life changing opportunity, we are deeply grateful.”
The American GI Forum Residential Center for Homeless Veterans was first opened in November, 2005 with major funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of HUD, and the City of San Antonio. The project currently offers 80 transitional beds, 30 single room apartments, support services, a full-dining facility, 24 hour security, and operations 365 days a year.
The new Work Center is a project concurrently in construction under a grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Residential Center has gained national attention because of its comprehensive services, and the new Work Center will add even more dimensions of service. “The Work Center is a great concept that perfectly compliments the needs of the residents in the facility. It will offer them a supported work environment, an opportunity to learn better money management, and to save some money for their eventual move on to self-sufficiency” said Carlos Martinez.
The Work Center objective is to contract with private and public entities to perform fulfillment work that can be performed by the residents, such as minor assembly projects, holiday products assembly, and promotional materials or other packaging. The Work Center will consider many other types of fulfillment work provided that it is determined to be safe and sanitary for the handling by the residents.
The Work Center will also create new permanent jobs for Job Coaches, warehousing, clerical, delivery, and other support positions. The cost of this new work center is approximately $1.7 million with 80% of the support coming as a grant from the Economic Development Administration. The project is expected to be dedicated along with the new SRO apartments in September, 2009.
