Meeting focuses on options for homeless veterans

Building 5 of VA Medical Center campus proposed as potential housing facility

BY ASHLEY PHILLIPS • Gazette Staff Writer

Chicago-Jim Lavery, of the VA Office of Asset Enterprise Management, presented the audience with a proposal for housing of local homeless veterans. The proposal, known as the VA’s Enhanced Use Lease Program, would utilize one of the facility’s existing buildings for housing of homeless veterans.

"EUL allows the VA to ground lease its underutilized land and buildings to private and public entities for up to 75 years," he said.

An EUL request must be approved by the secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs.

"There (have) been 58 EUL projects awarded, and over 100 initiatives are being studied," he said.

The building that is being proposed is Building 5 on the western part of the campus off Ohio 104. The second floor of the building would be utilized in the EUL project.

Currently, the first floor of the building is being occupied by the Alvis House.

The Alvis House is a nonprofit organization that specializes in treatment of offenders with mental retardation or other disabilities, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and those with some mental health and substance abuse disorders. It also offers employment assistance, cognitive skills development, academic skills development, life skills education, substance abuse counseling and other services.

Tom McPeek, regional director of the Alvis House, voiced his concern over renovating the second floor of the building.

A few of his main concerns rested with the condition of the building and housing a family-oriented project with a halfway house in the same building.

"We would be sharing a lot of common areas such as entrances, and that concerns me," he said.

McPeek is in favor of the project if his concerns are addressed and considered.

"It would be beneficial if there was a second entrance for the homeless veterans to use," he said.

Lavery went on to say the VA would not be providing funding for the project and funding would have to come from a developer who takes on the project.

"We are looking to start shopping around for developers soon so we can get the project moving forward," he said.

Phillips can be reached at 772-9376 or via e-mail at [email protected].