A long-vacant lot in The Hill neighborhood of New Haven will soon become housing for veterans, thanks to the city-based National Veterans Council for Legal Redress.
It will include one building with five affordable units for low-income veterans coming out of transitional housing. They won’t pay more than 30% of their income in rent, likely around $400 a month.
It will also include a community space for veterans in the neighborhood to use.
Veterans, Mayor Justin Elicker (D), U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and other local leaders visited the site on Thursday.
“We have a sacred obligation to care for our veterans and ensure their well-being when they return home,” Elicker said.
The National Veterans Council for Legal Redress helps service members with PTSD and less-than-honorable discharges appeal their status to qualify for benefits. Brothers Conley Monk Jr. and Garry Monk started it.
They filed the lawsuit that resulted in the 2014 Hagel Memo, which resulted in better treatment for veterans being discharged with PTSD and other mental health conditions.
“These veterans were not receiving their benefits because they hadn't been determined that they had PTSD,” Executive Director Garry Monk said. “So, NVCLR provides veterans with support in obtaining employment, medical and educational benefits, as well as meals, clothing, transportation, and housing.”
The organization hopes to build more affordable housing for vets around the city.
The home on Davenport Avenue will cost around $2.3 million to build, paid for mostly by the federal government. Additional funding will come from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and Eversource.
“It's a down payment on what we owe our veterans, and it will provide safe, stable housing to veterans who might otherwise be on the streets, but it's just the beginning of what we must do to meet a housing crisis for our veterans,” Blumenthal, who is likely to lead the Senate Veterans Affairs committee come January, said.
The home is expected to be ready for occupants in 2028. The first occupants have not been chosen yet, but local service providers will select them through referrals. Four of the units will be reserved for veterans making less than 50% of the area median income — that’s $43,600 in New Haven.
