MINNEAPOLIS — Homes come in many different shapes and sizes. By the end of this year, 17 veterans will be calling the powder-blue apartment complex that sits on the 3000 block of 14th Ave South in Minneapolis, theirs.
"Yes, we have names associated with every unit right now even if they haven't moved in," Sara Riegle said.
Riegle became the Vice President of Property Operations for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), just 90 days ago.
"I don't think we really expected our reputation as a service provider to veterans experiencing homelessness would really catapult us into the property management, and property operations that we have the opportunity to unveil today," Riegle said in a press conference outside the building they're calling the "Powderhorn."
The building, will soon be a place for 17 veterans to stay for good.
"People think that any situation that's not the street is better," Riegle said. "And while that may be, our goal here is long-term, affordable, dignified housing for veterans. So having a place like this where you can come home and feel safe, and feel like it's yours, like it's your home, and not just a roof over your head, that's entirely what we're aiming for."
MACV's Chief Operations Officer Jon Lovald said the work to help vets facing homelessness has grown even harder recently.
"The number of veterans who are finding themselves in housing insecurity is higher," Lovald said. "The more recent eviction moratorium being lifted, placed a lot of people in a situation where they were no longer able to stay where they were."
Through funding from the veterans omnibus bill though, MACV was able to secure a place like this. The best part-- that it was a bit of a fixer-upper in the first place.
"We went out and started looking for buildings that were largely unoccupied," Lovald explained. "It's never our intent to make somebody else homeless to better our mission. A building like this one, which was largely unoccupied, in a sort of state...of somewhat remodeling that hadn't happened. So we found a building that's affordable, and we work with our veteran partner organizations to rehab it, using materials that are donated."
In the press conference, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs commissioner Larry Herke said MACV does its work with veterans, one by one. While the organization knows that the 1-on-1 model takes time, both Lovald and Riegel say it's worth it.
"We all need one-on-one support, everybody needs that in their life," Riegle said. "Whether you've experienced trauma, or served in a war or facing addiction, every human being needs that support and individualized services. What works for someone who is living in unit one probably doesn't work for somebody living in unit two. And we want all of our veterans to maintain their long term stable housing."
All the units in the Powderhorn are spoken for. However, the units are not all completely remodeled. MACV said the building will be fully occupied before the year's over.
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