City and community leaders joined together last week to celebrate the grand opening of the newly constructed $27 million Veterans Village.
The Veterans Village, a development from Ikaika Ohana (Urban Housing Communities), consists of 48 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units, but it is much more than housing. Veterans will enjoy various amenities including a 3,000-square-foot community center, swimming pool, horseshoe and bocce ball courts, barbecue area, fire pit, outdoor seating and community garden.
The development will also provide vets with "supportive services they need to live a full and healthy life," Ryan Hunt, Communications and Events manager for the Cathedral City, said in a recent news release on the City's website. These services will come through organizations such as Mental Health Systems, the Loma Linda Veterans Administration, Riverside Continuum of Care and The Salvation Army.
The Veterans Village was constructed on land donated by the City at 30600 Landau Blvd, the release said. The idea for the project came about through a conversation between Lori Zito of Urban Housing Communities and the late Mayor Gregory S. Pettis. They saw the need for housing for homeless veterans in the Coachella Valley and wanted to do something about it.
At the Nov. 10 ceremony, several key stakeholders spoke, including Cathedral City Mayor Ernesto Gutierrez; Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez; a representative from the Office of Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz; John Bigley of Urban Housing Communities; Caron Bayor and Shantel Forstall from the Loma Linda Veterans Administration; Dr. Laura Otis-Miles, senior vice president of Clinical Services and corporate compliance officer of TURN Behavioral Health Services; and Sonia Rahm, director of Citi Community Capital.
The project is a reality because of financial support from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Citibank, RBC, Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention funds through Housing and Community Development, Riverside County, Cathedral City and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia's office.