GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An affordable housing development for veterans in Brown County is one step closer to coming to fruition. Veterans 1st of NEW just needs the county board to sign off on a land acquisition, and construction can begin.
Part of a 33 acre plot of land, just off St. Anthony Drive in Green Bay, could soon become home to a veteran housing community.
“We’re very excited, just to have this opportunity, just to step in and help our veterans,” said Kim Nohr with Veterans 1st of NEW.
Brown County’s Planning, Development & Transportation committee voted this week to recommend the county approve donating three and a half acres of this land to Veterans 1st of Northeast Wisconsin. The non-profit has been working for more than a year to bring a tiny home village, that would provide affordable housing to veterans, to Brown County.
According to Gail Nohr with Veterans 1st of NEW, “In 2022 there were 81 homeless veterans in this greater Green Bay area. There was also over 500 that need affordable housing of veterans and this will address that issue along with wrap around services we’re going to provide.”
Close to a bus stop, the local VA clinic, as well as Veterans Manor, another veteran housing community, Veterans 1st has been eyeing up this piece of property for its project. Gail Nohr said, “It’s very a serene place. There’s hopefully going to be some extension gardens where they can tend to, get positions and county jobs for that. It’s just a perfect place.”
With a price tag of about $2.5 million, purchasing a plot of land for the veterans’ village would only set the project back. “This land donation is just making us, we’re going to be sustainable,” added Kim Nohr.
Veterans 1st is planning to complete the project in three phases with an end goal of building a total of 21 tiny homes and community center. Seventeen of the tiny homes will be single occupancy, the other four will house two veterans at a time, in transitional housing.
Kim Nohr said, “This isn’t something the veterans are expected to stay in their whole life. We want to get them on their feet, get them supported, and back into the community.”
According to officials with Brown County Veterans Services, once completed, the veterans village will help to fill a void for those who have served their country.
“It’s a needed piece. We could always use more, use large facilities but it will be a fit for the community,” added Kim Nohr.
The final vote on this land acquisition is scheduled to go in front of the full county board on December 20th. If approved, Veterans 1st hopes to have the first phase of their veterans village built by the end of next year.
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