Transcona set to host tiny village for struggling veterans

Retired soldiers who experience homelessness in Winnipeg can find shelter in a small cluster of homes thanks to the Homes for Heroes Foundation.

The non-for-profit organization announced on Wednesday that they plan on building the Winnipeg Kinsmen Veterans' Village. It will contain 20 tiny homes, a resource centre, two on-site counsellors, community gardens and recreation spaces.

The Homes For Heroes Foundation's renditions of the Winnipeg Kinsmen Veterans' Village to be built in Transcona (Source: Homes For Heroes Foundation Website)

"There is an issue in Winnipeg," says David Howard, president and CEO of the Homes for Heroes Foundation, in a press release. "We have over 160 veterans that are experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg with more in the surrounding area."

The village will contain various social support services to assist veterans with whatever they need to get back on their feet.

The city of Winnipeg sold a piece of land, located in Transcona, for the foundation to use to build the homes for the veterans.

Howard says that construction is expected to begin in the spring.

The project is being funded by three levels of government and many external groups, including the Winnipeg Kinsmen Club, who donated a $1 million cheque to the foundation on Wednesday.

The Homes For Heroes Foundation already has sites in Edmonton and Calgary, and aims to open another in Kingston, Ontario.