Fifteen neat little houses, with exteriors covered in wood and neutral paint, have sprung up in southeast Calgary. 15 veterans who have served terms as far back as the Korean War and as recent as Afghanistan, will move in this Friday.
Each 275-square-feet house has complete amenities and share an onsite garden. The residents will also have access to individualized counselling and resources to connect them to other services.
“A lot of [the veterans] are living on the street so the first thing we can do is give them a supportive housing environment to live in,” said Don Mcleod, a retired military police officer.
Mcleod will be an on-site counsellor at the village working with individual veterans to empower them to be independent. “It’s not hard for them to end up on the street, some just don’t have the support they lost when they left the military and they don’t know how to access them,” he said.
Dealing with trauma from serving and a reluctance to seek out help can lead to serious issues like addictions and homelessness.
Article submitted by, Ms. Patton.