The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit known for supporting first responders and military veterans, has initiated an ambitious project to alleviate homelessness among veterans by breaking ground on the Detroit Veterans Village in Southfield, as reported by WWJ Newsradio 950. The organization purchased the former Holiday Inn on Northwestern Highway and plans to convert it into a facility that will furnish approximately 100 veterans with housing and a broad range of support services, including job training, mental health support, and addiction treatment.
Despite the fundamental necessity of housing, Gavin Maples, Vice President of Tunnel to Towers, underscored the fact that creating a shelter is just a starting point. What’s more critical is tackling the underlying causes of homelessness among veterans, which the Detroit Veterans Village aims to address by offering on-site comprehensive support services. This information was reported by WWJ Newsradio 950. The Detroit News highlighted the significance of this milestone, noting that it is the nonprofit's inaugural venture in Michigan. Jeanna DellaRagione, Executive Vice President of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, expressed, "A couple of years ago, we made a powerful and important commitment to eradicate homelessness amongst our veterans across the United States."
According to FOX 2 Detroit, when the Vietnam War veteran Edward Williams surveyed the ongoing project, he commended the future Detroit Veterans Village for what it stands to provide, hoping it would bring a level support that had been missing during his time of return from the war. The reported staggering number of 35,000 homeless veterans nationwide in January 2023 underscores the pressing need for such initiatives. Jay Feldman, CEO of Feldman Automotive Group and foundation board member, emphasized the significant psychological and practical relief that the village could bring to veterans by providing them a dependable living situation.
Ultimately, the Detroit Veterans Village envisions not only to stand as a beacon of hope with its promise of steady accommodation, but also to deliver a comprehensive support system to address the varied and complex needs of its residents where they can find medical care access, benefits assistance, and essential services just within their reach thus, creating an ecosystem that nurtures rehabilitation and reintegration into the society, as told by maples to WWJ Newsradio 950. The project’s approach includes gut renovations starting in the first quarter of 2025, with a scheduled opening later the same year, as per a statement obtained by The Detroit News.
