Long-Term Housing for Veterans

RVCP is in the process of renovating an existing wing to develop 23 long-term, affordable studio apartments for veterans experiencing homelessness. Currently, we operate a 48 bed transitional shelter for veterans experiencing homeless. During our time serving veterans, we have identified one of their main obstacles to successful discharges from the transitional programming: affordable housing in a county experiencing both a house shortage and an affordable housing shortage.

In late 2015, RVCP began renovating the wing after raising nearly all of the estimated funds to complete the project: $800,000.

The WI Department of Health and Safety, during a routine inspection, stopped renovations and required that all of the units be ADA (handicap) accessible. From 2016 to 2018, RVCP appealed to the department on a variety of grounds, including financial hardship. Unfortunately, we lost.

What does this mean for the project? We lost a room (previously, the number was 24 units.) We were no longer able to utilize existing infrastructure. (Previously, the home was a 400 bed nursing home.) This meant new framing, re-plumbing the entire unit, re-wiring the entire unit, new architectural plans, and new "equipment" (showers, cabinets, etc.) Unfortunately, the cost of our project went from around $800,000 to $1,400,000.

Please join us in raising the last $600,000 to renovate this wing to provide affordable housing for those who have served this nation honorably.