News From the Cause
Housing Development Targets Veterans (THE DETROIT NEWS 26 JUL 09)
August 02, 2009
By Santiago Esparza
Detroit -- A housing complex for homeless veterans is rising from the ashes of a former Studebaker plant destroyed in a 2005 fire. The complex, called Piquette Square, will house 150 homeless veterans selected by the state in 100,000 square feet at 285 Piquette.
The $21 million complex is the largest of its kind in the state and one of only two such developments in Michigan, according to owner Southwest Housing Solutions. The developer is the housing arm of Southwest Solutions, which provides housing and counseling services for patients of low-to-moderate incomes.
"It is unconscionable that men and women who have served America in the military should be homeless," said John Van Camp, president of Southwest Solutions. "Piquette Square will not only provide homeless vets a dignified place to live, but access to supportive services that will enable them to reintegrate into the community."
The four-story building will feature 5,000 square feet of commercial space on its first floor. It also will house a commons area, counseling space and computer training on the first floor.
Each apartment will be 450 square feet and include a kitchen, full bathroom, living room and bedroom. Federal, state and local funding along with private and public grants are funding the project, said Tim Thorland, executive director of Southwest Housing Solutions.
State housing officials will select tenants, who must pass criminal background checks and meet the criteria for state-funded housing, for the project, Thorland said. The state will issue housing vouchers for the veterans that cover about 70 percent of the rent. The veterans will have to pay the remainder, Thorland said. There already is a waiting list. No one has been selected for housing yet.
Homeless experts estimate that there are more than 4,000 homeless people in Detroit. The U.S. Veterans Administration estimates that 1 of 3 homeless men nationally is a male veteran.
The Michigan Veterans Foundation will provide whatever services staff and volunteers it can to help the veterans who will live in the new complex, its Associate Executive Director Tyrone Chapman said.
The center offers transitional housing for veterans, but they only are allowed to stay at the center 18 months, Chapman said.
"Once you get involved with it, you really see the need for it," Chapman said.
