PAGE 4 HEALING IN HOUSING: AFFORDABLE LIVING WITH MILITARY VETERANS IN MIND
845 Commons / Schnenectady, NY 845 Commons offers 155 safe, affordable homes to formerly homeless residents, many of which are military veterans. Originally built in 1915 as an industrial building for the Mica Insulator Company, the community by the Galesi Group was awarded a Historical Preservation Award by the Preservation League of New York State for its preservation and successful repurposing of the historic structure and aided the city in being “recognized by President Obama as one of only three cities in the United States to effectively eliminate veteran homelessness.”² At the community’s 2015 grand opening, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “845 Commons gives hope to people, especially veterans, who need a decent place to live and services to help them succeed.” In partnership with the Capital District
In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we welcome you to revisit a Property Impact Story that we posted in 2022. CREA is grateful to recognize our very own veteran team members: Michael Murray, U.S. Army, 19801-1984 and Jon Rieman, U.S. Army, 2004-2009. We thank and celebrate them for their years of service. It is in this same acknowledgment to those who have given their time, talents, and so much more for the freedom of our country, that we share our support of Homeless Veterans and Families (HVAF), an Indianapolis- based organization, focused on addressing the specific needs of veterans. Their mission is to provide housing and reintegration services to veterans experiencing or at-risk for homelessness.
populations, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans reports that 13% of the homeless adult population are veterans.¹ Beyond consideration of driving influences of homelessness, such as the affordable housing shortage, veterans are subjective to homelessness due to lack of transferable skills to civilian workforce and “lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.” With this in mind, we find it especially important to promote and prioritize the availability of veteran-specific affordable housing options that include supportive services to foster veteran success in reintegrating into civilian life. CREA is proud to share partnerships with organizations that provide these housing and health solutions and welcome you to learn about three communities that are doing just that.
While difficult to fully report on due to the transient nature of homeless
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator