Veteran Charity Organizations Provide Shelter & Affordable Housing
It is estimated that there are 62,000 homeless veterans on a given night. In Missouri, there are over 600 homeless veterans. Two organizations have made it their mission to reduce this number by offering affordable housing, veterans shelter, and other support services.
Welcome Home Provides Shelter for Veterans
Welcome Home was started by impassioned Vietnam veterans who invested their personal money to create a shelter for homeless veterans in mid-Missouri. What started as a simple shelter for the homeless has become a transitional living facility committed to providing emergency food and clothing, a clean and stable living environment, case management and advocacy to disadvantaged and displaced Veterans.
We are unwavering in our mission to end Veteran homelessness and give every Veteran a proper ‘welcome home.’ It is an honor to serve those who selflessly served this country, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support from our community. -Megan Sievers, Development Director
Welcome Home operates on the idea that no veteran who has served his or her country should be homeless. Soldiers commit to “no man left behind,” and Welcome Home seeks to extend that to the home front.
Cofounder and Vietnam Veteran R.C. Higgins said, It started out as a mission to take care of our fellow Veterans returning home and to this day we are committed to giving every Veteran a deserved ‘welcome home.’
Patriot Place Provides Affordable Housing for Veterans in Columbia, MO
Patriot Place is a small apartment complex consisting of 25 fully-furnished one-bedroom apartments that are funded with a combination of sources including 25 Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) housing vouchers which provide a permanent rent subsidy, 4% low-income housing tax credits and grant funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines and the Missouri Foundation for Health. The apartment units are furnished with high efficiency appliances, and the building is designed and constructed with efficient materials making it energy efficient. Utilities are provided for the tenants.
Patriot Place was completed in April of 2016 and was fully occupied by July of 2016. It was funded and built with aid from the Columbia Housing Authority, Shelter Insurance, and Veteran United Home Loans. Veterans are able to find housing stability while navigating the path to acclimating to work life and society. Veterans have access to support services through Welcome Home and the Truman Veteran Affairs Hospital.
Welcome Home and Patriot Place both serve mid-Missouri veterans to provide support services, homeless shelter, and affordable living while they acclimate into society. StorageMart is proud to provide donated storage space to both organizations through the Store it Forward initiative.