In Longmont, the VCP Village, on Mountain Brook Drive north of Nelson Road, has six homes in which veterans and family members have been living since September 2023. The transitional housing project is being built by the Veterans Community Project (VCP), HMS Development, and the City of Longmont, which waived fees and expedited permitting, a contribution valued at $300,000. When completed, VCP Village will have 26 tiny homes—21 for individual veterans, and five for veterans and their families.
Homes for individual veterans are 240 square feet, and homes for veterans and up to six family members are 320 square feet. All have open plans with small kitchens, separate bathrooms, and front porches. Built on solid foundations with trauma-informed design for behavioral health and PTSD, they include features such as high ceilings, hefty insulation, and beds positioned against the wall with a view of the whole unit. They are outfitted with new appliances and furnishings, mini-splits for heat and air-conditioning, and city utilities, including water, electricity, and Wifi. A 3,000 square-foot community center has gathering space and offices, and a patio and community garden are planned.
The tiny homes are being developed with a goal of providing emergency assistance and a community of support to keep veterans housed. VCP says the tiny homes, compared to other transitional housing, provide veterans privacy, a sense of security, and the ability to reintegrate at a comfortable pace. One way homeless veterans connect with VCP is through its walk-in outreach center on Main Street in Longmont, which offers help in securing Veteran Administration benefits, physical and mental health referrals, employment training, and housing. Veterans can live in the tiny home village for two years, rent-free, supported by services such as case management and mentoring. Case managers continue to work with residents for a year after they transition to more permanent housing.
Founded in 2016 by a group of combat veterans and privately funded by corporations, foundations, and donations from the communities, VCP has developed tiny home villages for veterans in Kansas City, MO, Sioux Falls, SD, and is planning villages in four other cities besides Longmont. The tiny homes cost about $60,000 to build. Donated land, building materials, and labor help keep costs down. HMS donated the 1.4-acre VCP site next to its Mountain Brook subdivision, under construction, as well as land for eight homes built by Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley.
Developers of housing for chronically homeless individuals sometimes face NIMBY push-back from the community. But in Longmont, the VCP Village developers say they did not encounter objections, and longtime and new neighbors take pride in welcoming homeless veterans.
VCP Village joins previously developed affordable housing for homeless in Longmont, including the Suites, the Longmont Housing Authority’s adaptive reuse of an extended stay hotel, and the Micah Project, developed by the United Church of Christ and The Inn Between.
In October, Longmont will welcome its first new purpose-built permanent supportive housing of scale for homeless when Boulder’s Element Properties opens Zinnia, a four-story project with 55 apartments located on Sunset Way. Zinnia partners include the City of Longmont, the Longmont Housing Authority, CHFA, CDOH, the Impact Development Fund, tax credit investors, and others. It will offer supportive services through All Roads (formerly the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless).
