$2 million project to bring affordable housing to Sarasota County veterans
VENICE, Fla. - Community partners are breaking new ground for veterans in Sarasota County.
The Gulf Coast Community Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony on an affordable housing project dedicated to veterans. The $2 million project is in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul CARES.
"It’s like a breath of new hope, if you will," William Sterbinsky, the co-founder of SRQ Vets said.
Sterbinsky is also a Marine Corps veteran and attorney with Veteran Affairs Law. He said this project is a step forward for the veteran community.
The affordable housing project will build 10 600-700 sq. ft. units to Sarasota County for veterans in need of housing.
The housing complex should be ready for move-in by 2024.
Jon Thaxton, the senior vice president of Gulf Coast Community Foundation, said affordable housing, particularly within the veteran community, is desperately needed in the county.
"Right now in Sarasota County, we have identified just under 100 veterans who are suffering from housing insecurity, and I use that term because not all of them are homeless," Thaxton said. "Some of them are threatened to be homeless, some of them are couch-surfing."
Thaxton said this project is heavily funded by significant donations from community partners. Sterbinsky said the transition from the military back into civilian life is extremely daunting and takes a lot of help.
"You’re, 24/7, 100% of the time, it’s military, military, military," Sterbinsky said. "Once they’re done, it’s ‘Here are your discharge documents, back out into civilian world, good luck to you.’"
He said there’s a lack of resources for veterans, from housing, to job assistance, to health care.
The Gulf Coast Community Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony.
"I think it becomes an issue because when someone doesn’t have a sense of community," Sterbinsky said. "That isolation, I think really kicks in."
Upon completion of the project, Thaxton said the housing complex won’t carry any debt. He said the income from rent payments will go towards upkeep of the complex.
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"The cost of the unit will depend on the veteran’s income," Thaxton said. "They will be expected to pay 30% of their income, and they will be signing an annual lease."
Stebrinsky said this housing complex will also help give veterans a renewed sense of community.
"I pray it brings veterans together," Sterbinsky said. "They start seeing that comradery or that cohesion again. They start understanding that their unique issues are not an isolated issue, that we all suffer from the same."
Thaxton said they hope the housing complex will be move-in ready by the fall of 2024.