In a wooded area north of White Oak, Texas, a cluster of repainted trailers and campers has become a transition environment for veterans rebuilding their lives.
The units give veterans who have been homeless an affordable place to regain stability, save money, and begin again.
What's happening?
According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, the Christian Restoration Community has housed veterans in East Texas for the last 19 years.
Debra Christian, a retired Goodyear employee who started the Christian Restoration Community, said her family's military ties helped shape the mission.
She began with three tiny homes near her house in Tyler. The effort has since expanded to a veteran housing community on 20 acres of family land in Gregg County, where six veterans live, and Christian hopes the portion already in use can eventually house about 20.
Residents receive support through Endeavors, a faith-based nonprofit that helps veterans with housing and mental health services. They may also qualify for rent assistance through the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
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Why does it matter?
Without stable housing, it becomes even harder to do things like keep steady work, manage medical care, and handle benefits paperwork.
Much of the project's growth has come from Christian's own retirement money, and she told Tyler Morning Telegraph, "We just kept boot-strapping it."
Outside groups have also contributed. The American Legion Foundation paid for stackable washers and dryers for the trailer homes, while the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation provided a small tractor, along with concrete parking slabs and sidewalks.
Christian is also waiting to hear about an Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields grant for an adjacent 41 acres affected by oil and gas contamination. If the cleanup happens, she hopes the property could eventually hold as many as 80 homes.
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