Originally published 2021-09-07.
The Veterans Community Project (VCP) is a Kansas City non-profit that gives homeless veterans a free, fully furnished tiny home of their own, plus the case management they need to move on to permanent housing. Its first village, on four acres in south Kansas City, Missouri, was planned around 49 small houses of roughly 240 to 320 square feet, each with its own bathroom and kitchen. Residents pay no rent, can bring their pets and work with staff on benefits, jobs and the next step after the village.
The model has since spread to other American cities. Here is how it started, how it works, what makes it different from a conventional shelter and what the wider numbers on veteran homelessness look like.
How the Veterans Community Project began
VCP was founded in Kansas City in the mid-2010s by three men who had served: Chris Stout, an Army veteran; Kevin Jamison, a Marine Corps veteran; and Mark Solomon, a Navy reservist. According to local reporting, Jamison had noticed that homeless shelters were not working for every veteran he met, and Stout became his first partner. They left their jobs to build the project.
The idea of tiny houses came partly from a Kansas City councilwoman, Teresa Loar, who suggested them as an alternative to a traditional shelter. The founders bought a sloping plot near 89th Street and Troost Avenue from the city's land bank for a token sum and began building with crews of volunteers. Early reporting put the cost of each house at around $10,000, far less than conventional housing.
Stout has summed up the organisation's attitude in one line: "We are the place that says 'yes' first and figures everything else out later." That openness matters, because some veterans fall through the gaps of official programmes, for example because of paperwork problems or the type of discharge they received.
What life in the tiny home village looks like
Each house is small but complete. Residents get a bed, a bathroom with a shower, a compact kitchen, a living space and a desk, and the homes arrive furnished with appliances, linens, dishes and food. VCP says its newer designs are informed by research on post-traumatic stress, with attention to light, sight lines and a sense of safety.
A few features set the village apart from a typical shelter:
- Privacy and a door that locks. Shared dormitories can be unbearable for someone living with trauma; a private home offers rest and dignity.
- Pets are welcome. Many homeless veterans refuse shelter places because they would have to give up a dog or cat. VCP lets residents keep them.
- No rent. Residents do not pay, even if they have some income, so they can save toward a deposit on a place of their own.
- A goal, not a time limit on the door. A stay of around six months is typical, with the aim of independent living within a year, and residents can stay longer while they work toward it. When someone moves on, the house is prepared for the next veteran.
Wes Williams, who led veteran services at VCP, described the purpose as something deeper than a few months off the street: a chance to "take a deep breath, exhale, and learn how to dream again."
The support behind the homes
The houses get the attention, but the founders have always said they are only part of the programme. Across the street from the Kansas City village is an outreach centre, a former service station, which offers help to any veteran who walks in, housed or not. Services described by VCP and by the Association of the United States Army include:
- help applying for VA benefits and navigating paperwork;
- job placement, training and classes for licences and certifications;
- legal services and emergency financial assistance;
- a food pantry, clothing closet and donated bus passes;
- counselling and mentoring, including support for recovery from addiction.
Each resident works one-to-one with a case manager on a personal plan. VCP reports that about 85% of the veterans who stay in its villages go on to sustainable permanent housing. That figure comes from the organisation itself rather than an independent evaluation, but it is in line with what other supportive-housing programmes report when services and housing come together.
Residents' reactions explain why the model resonates. One veteran told reporters that he had always been the one helping family and friends, never the one being helped, and could hardly believe his good fortune.
Veteran homelessness: what the numbers say
It is sometimes claimed that veterans make up a huge share of homeless Americans. The real picture is more hopeful. On a single night in January 2024, the national point-in-time count found 32,882 veterans experiencing homelessness, the lowest figure on record and, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a 55.2% reduction since 2010. Veterans are a minority of the overall homeless population, though they remain over-represented relative to their share of adults in some places.
The causes are familiar ones: difficulty readjusting to civilian life, relationship breakdown, physical injury, post-traumatic stress, depression, substance use and the high cost of housing. The progress since 2010 came largely from "Housing First" approaches, which put people into stable homes quickly and then add support, and from joint HUD and VA voucher programmes. VCP's villages follow a similar logic on a small, community-built scale.
From one village to several cities
The Kansas City village welcomed its first residents in 2018. Since then VCP has opened or developed villages in other cities, including St. Louis, Missouri; Longmont, Colorado; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Dallas, Texas; Glendale, Arizona; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated goal is to have a village in every major American city.
Tiny home villages are not a complete answer to homelessness. Critics point out that they house relatively few people and depend on land, donations and volunteers. Supporters reply that they offer something larger systems struggle to provide: a fast, dignified first step and a community of people who understand military life.
How you can help homeless veterans
- If you are a veteran in crisis, in the US you can call the VA's National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838, or reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialling 988 and pressing 1.
- Volunteer locally. Groups like VCP rely on volunteers for building, mentoring, driving and sorting donations.
- Donate what is actually needed. Check an organisation's wish list before dropping off goods; household essentials and gift cards are often more useful than clothing.
- Support housing policy. Local zoning decisions and funding for supportive housing make a bigger difference than any single project.
Sources: Veterans Community Project (official site); Association of the United States Army: Tiny homes for homeless vets; KCUR, May 2016: Kansas City vets build tiny houses for homeless comrades; HUD, November 2024: veteran homelessness at record low; quotes from Wes Williams and residents as reported by My Positive Outlooks.
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