ST MICHAEL VETERANS CENTER INC

Background
St. Michael's Veterans Center (SMVC) provides quality, affordable housing to veterans experiencing homelessness or living with a disability in the Kansas City area. Since 2014, SMVC has served more than 250 formerly homeless men, women, and children. Our community is designed to empower veterans to work toward healthy reintegration with their families and communities by providing safe, permanent housing. SMVC connects veterans with the means and support necessary to achieve housing stability, long-term health and wellness, and financial stability. Our campus is a home and community where veterans can live their best lives and give back to their community.

SMVC is an independent non-profit that fulfills its mission through roles as the non-profit co-owner of the SMVC campus and provider of social services to veterans. The SMVC campus is on a 24-acre site located at East 39th Street and Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd., just south of the VA Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
• SMVC’s Housing Phase I with 58 apartment homes opened in 2014
• SMVC’s Housing Phase II with 59 apartment homes and the SMVC Service Center opened in 2016
• SMVC’s Housing Phase III will begin construction in 2024 with expected completion late 2025
• Patriot Park, a memorial to our community’s veterans, is planned at the entrance to the campus. It is expected to open by late 2025.

The development of SMVC is a public-private partnership. This partnership between private firms and community partners capitalized on each member’s experience and dedication to successfully complete SMVC. City, state, and federal agencies played an indispensable role in the vision, coordination, funding, and implementation of SMVC’s long-range solutions to meet the needs of those who served in our country’s military. Each of these partners were committed to creating a sustainable solution that will endure for decades to come.

________________________________________
OUR APPROACH

SMVC adopted the Housing First and Permanent Supportive Housing models to have a sustained impact on ending veteran homelessness in Kansas City. These evidence-based models focus on permanent housing and wrap-around support are equally essential components to keep people housed and healthy. Key principles of these models include a low-barrier admission policy, no programmatic prerequisites, supportive services are voluntary but are actively used to engage veterans with a focus on housing permanency and wellness, and veteran residents have full rights, responsibilities and legal protections.

SMVC also focuses on a third element that is essential to creating sustained impact – we build a vibrant community that takes care of our neighbors. The campus is infused with pride. The campus becomes a place for formerly homeless and disabled veterans to live, and a home and community where they can live their best lives and give back. It provides a unique opportunity to build positive relationships and mutual support among veterans.
________________________________________
OUR IMPACT
St. Michael’s Veterans Center is a valued living community with an average of 90 percent of residents choosing St. Michael’s as their home from year-to-year. In 2023, 98 percent of SMVC veterans retained permanent housing.

In 2023, 32 percent of veterans addressed personal goals one-on-one with SMVC staff and 74 percent of these veterans accomplished their goals: 9 percent of veterans increased their income through work or mainstream resources; 13 percent addressed health, mental health and substance use issues; 9 percent maintained housing with interventions.

SMVC provided social services to 92% of SMVC veterans including the following:
• 88% used the Food Pantry
• 85% participated in community meals and social activities
• 77% received holiday gifts
• 71% used the Dignity Pantry
• 42% participated in educational programs and field trips
• 27% received household items
• 23% completed tax returns / rent rebate returns
• 19% created legal documents (wills, powers of attorney)

This high level of stability is achieved because on-site professional services are designed to improve the quality of life and well-being of veterans along with housing permanency.
SMVC veterans note that for the first time they are part of a community that cares about them and their well-being. They feel safe. They connect with others that have had a shared experience. We believe that having a home and being a part of a community is essential for the dignity of each individual and collectively for the vibrancy and long-term sustainability of our city. And we all deserve to live with dignity.

We’ve witnessed many lives that have changed because a veteran has a place to call home and a strong, supportive community. This impact is exemplified by Frank’s story.

Frank is Vietnam Veteran who not only found a home and refuge at SMVC, but also a way to give back. “St. Michael’s saved my life,” Frank says. “I was isolated before. Here I have people to talk to and activities to get involved with. I love to help out. It makes me feel like I’m needed and part of something.”