VETERANS 1ST OF NEW INC

With your generous contribution Veterans 1st of NEW will be able to purchase the discounted material to build our second Phase which is 7 homes. We currently have enough funds to build our first 6 homes and a Community Center. Phase 3 will be another 7 homes for a total of 21 homes. Four of these homes will be transitional homes where veterans can live out of shelters. We will provide job training and career assistance so they can find meaningful employment. They will be required to save 10% of their funds to be able to move into one of our 17 affordable homes in 24 months. They can rent the affordable home for another 3 years for a total of 5 years. After 4 years we will help them fill out a VA Home Loan application and help them find a home to purchase outside of our village. Our team is mindful of other complex issues that veterans face today. One of those issues is the rising rate of veteran suicide, 9 in Brown County and 31 in Northeast Wisconsin for several years. Then, add in the extra complexity of substance abuse and mental health challenges. We will be working with Brown County Community Treatment Center, the Green Bay VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic, the Vet Center, and our full-time volunteer co-founder, Gail Nohr who is a Substance Abuse Counselor on addressing those issues.After and while going through the mental health therapies, the residents will be provided career training and placement opportunities from the Department of Workforce Development and three other employment agencies on-site. While in the transitional housing units for up to 24 months, they will only pay 30% of their income and save 10% to be able to start saving money to move into a single, affordable unit of their own for another three years. We will supplement the remaining cost of their rent with assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, and other transitional housing grants. After saving 10% of their income for 24 months they should have enough money saved up to move into an affordable home (rent is below the Brown County Gross Median Rent for a one-bedroom) with a rent of $750. Eight of those residents who qualify for the VA Supportive Housing Vouchers will receive up to 70% of rental assistance along with healthcare, mental health services, and case management. The other nine affordable home renters would get Housing Choice Vouchers through the Brown County Housing Authority which would provide rental assistance for up to 70% of their rent based on their income. In our Veterans Village, the housing rent will provide 80% of the revenue needed for operating costs, and grants and community support will provide the remaining 20% of the revenue. Studies have shown that Supportive Housing cuts emergency room visits by 57%, emergency detoxification services by 87%, and incarceration by 52%. They also show that residents in Supportive Housing like ours stay housed for at least three years at up to 83%.We have a talented and comprehensive Board of Directors and Advisors. Our President and Project Manager is a retired Union Carpenter and has a lifetime of experience building and maintaining homes and can offer his expertise in our building plans and keeping the houses maintained. Our Vice President is a recently retired Army Veteran and is our Security Architect and IT Advisor. Our Case Manager has a degree in Substance Abuse Counseling and is in the process of getting her license. She has worked as a Substance Abuse Counselor in a local veterans' homeless shelter for over a year and is currently working at the Jackie Nitschke Center. For the last six years, she worked at the Brown County Veterans Service Office and was taking many calls daily from veterans who were homeless or at risk of homelessness and helped them find housing. Our Treasurer is also skilled in keeping track of investments, financing, and record keeping. Our Housing Programs Director works at Integrative Community Solutions and will be administering the County and VA Housing Vouchers to our residents for assistance. Our Philanthropy Director has over 30 years experience in financing. One of our Advisors is a veteran and a retired Corrections Officer who has developed a program called Fresh Start to mentor those that might struggle with legal issues. Our advisors currently consist of over 40 people (half of them are veterans) and that number is growing daily as our Brown County community truly wants to help veterans succeed. We have in-kind commitments from local Heating, Cooling, Electrical, Plumbing, and Carpenter Unions and discounts for materials from their suppliers.They will also provide apprenticeship opportunities for our veteran residents who would like to learn a trade with NWTC (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College) for degree credits. NWTC students help with component construction as well. We have a survey company that would like to donate planning for our village.With all this donated construction, over $650,000 worth, and over $575,000 of financial donations, we have most of the funds to pay for the first 6 homes and initial Community Center for Phase 1. We are receiving funds daily for Phases 2 and 3 from supportive foundations and granters. The more funds we obtain before construction, the lower we can keep the rent and remain sustainable. Brown County has donated 3.5 acres of land from a 33 acre parcel to Veterans 1st of NEW to develop our Veterans Village on St. Anthony Drive in Green Bay.