Private and Public Benefactors Rally Around Southern California Nonprofit in the Fight to End Chronic Veteran Homelessness
Press Release – MIDWAY CITY, CALIF. (April 26, 2016) – American Family Housing (AFH) – the visionary nonprofit organization dedicated to permanently ending the cycle of homelessness throughout Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties – is pleased to announce it has been granted a rental housing loan for new construction from the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program (VHHP) in the amount of $1,792,198. In support of the bold and innovative new AFH housing project underway in Midway City, Calif. called Potter’s Lane, this significant VHHP award from the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Department of Veterans Affairs will serve as core funding for the energy-efficient and sustainable housing site for veterans. Volunteers of America (VOA) partnered with AFH at the end of 2015 in support of the new construction project, which is quickly gaining wide support from public, private and government organizations alike.
The VHHP award comes in tandem with the generous gift of $45,000 from the Southern California congregations of Trabuco Presbyterian Church in Trabuco Canyon and Presbytery of Los Ranchos in Anaheim; a $5,000 contribution from the members of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach; and critical approval from the County of Orange and the Veterans Administration of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) rental subsidies.
“It is with gratitude we accept this truly extraordinary financial award from VHHP and express our deepest appreciation for additional support from the organizations and individuals who are helping us move closer to our goal to transform the dream of Potter’s Lane into a reality and to end chronic veteran homelessness,” says AFH CEO and president, Donna Gallup. “We also owe a debt of thanks to our newest board member and ordained minister of Presbytery of Los Ranchos, Jesse Lund, who has worked tirelessly to forge meaningful relationships within the community to support the work of AFH is doing to support our veterans.”
Within a year, Potter’s Lane has drawn support from the County of Orange who administers HUD-VASH—a collaboration of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs Supported Housing program, which helps veterans who are homeless and their immediate families find and maintain affordable, safe and permanent housing in the community, as well as Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS), which has been assisting AFH with expertise in project management and successful use of new funding sources such as VHHP. In fact, Gerald Turner, a former construction consultant who recently joined Volunteers of America as senior vice president of housing development, was one of the visionaries behind the Potter’s Lane concept, which AFH and its affiliate partners hope can be replicated across the U.S.
“VOA is honored to join AFH in celebrating Potters Lane’s success and official groundbreaking,” says Patrick Sheridan, VOA executive vice president of housing. “On a national scale, we are partnering to solve chronic homelessness and Potter’s Lane is the perfect example of a creative and innovative housing development project that provides an atmosphere conducive to the long-term physical and mental health needs of homeless veterans.”
A leader forging key strategic partnerships in the community and beyond, AFH is fulfilling its goal to bring to life an eco-friendly housing project that utilizes GrowthPoint Structures—upcycling steel shipping containers into 16 beautiful 480-square-foot housing units designed to complement the surrounding environs. Estimated for completion this year, the energy-efficient and sustainable housing will provide a tranquil setting for the area’s chronically homeless veterans while fulfilling one of the community’s greatest needs: permanent housing. Simultaneously, AFH will join a revolution that is bringing an end to chronic homelessness among our nation’s veterans in major metropolitan centers throughout the United States.
In addition to providing homes of steel for the brave of heart, the Potter’s Lane project will also provide comprehensive wrap-around services to help these veterans achieve stability and self-sufficiency. The project is quickly garnering wide support, with donors having the opportunity to be personally recognized or honor a veteran or loved one through different naming opportunities that involve various structures at the project site – from artful murals and park benches, to the very bricks used to build its foundation.
“Potter’s Lane is a key piece of our comprehensive plan to help reduce the homeless veteran population in Midway City and the surrounding communities,” adds Andrew Do, Supervisor, First District, Orange County Board of Supervisors. “I am pleased that the Potter’s Lane project is another step closer to reality and I’m looking forward to the day Potter’s Lane is able to open its doors.”
For more information regarding donations and naming opportunities within the Potter’s Lane, please visit www.afhusa.org/potterslane or call (714) 897-3221.
ABOUT AMERICAN FAMILY HOUSING: Founded in 1985, American Family Housing (AFH) is a nonprofit organization that provides a continuum of housing and a broad spectrum of services to vulnerable populations facing barriers to achieving housing stability, including war veterans and adults with disabilities and mental illness. Operating 63 housing sites, with 267 units that serve more than 1,000 adults and children each year in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, AFH is committed to permanently ending the cycle of homelessness, helping low-income families and adults achieve a self-sustaining way of life and become active members of their communities.
ABOUT VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA: Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America’s most vulnerable groups, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and health care, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services. Learn more at www.voa.org.
