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Dallas Veterans Day Parade Ends at Future Site of 50-Home Veterans Village in South Oak Cliff
Dallas is moving forward with Veterans Village at Patriots Crossing, a 50-tiny-home community for homeless veterans on seven acres across from the VA hospital. Wednesday's South Oak Cliff parade ended at the site, underscoring the need as the nonprofit raises $4 million to break ground next year.
DALLAS â A Veterans Day parade through South Oak Cliff concluded Wednesday across from the VA hospital, steps from where Dallas plans to build a 50-home community for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The project, Veterans Village at Patriots Crossing, is planned for seven acres opposite the VA hospital. Earlier this year, the city approved the development and transferred the land to Veterans Community Project, a nonprofit that will construct 50 tiny homes. The organization is raising $4 million to break ground sometime next year. Similar villages already operate in Kansas City and Colorado.
The parade route gave the planned village added significance, with local high school bands marching in recognition of veterans and neighbors lining the streets.
âThe community has spoken to me very loudly; they want economic development, they want housing here, and to support our veterans,â said Maxie Johnson, the Dallas City Council member representing District 4.
The need is stark. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nearly 32,000 veterans experienced at least one night of homelessness in the past year.
For David Jones, a veteran who served more than three years and attended Wednesdayâs parade, the issue is personal.
âI think back on the time when I was homeless,â Jones said. âI used to be one of them, but thank God he brought me up out of that situation.â
Jones said the promise of new housing for veterans in South Oak Cliff is encouraging because he understands what it is like to need a place to call home.
Neighbors along the route echoed that support.
âThe veterans should be appreciated for what they did, you know,â said JoAnn Andrews, who watched the parade.
For Johnson, the village is a way to recognize veteransâ service beyond a single holiday.
âThey put their lives on the line every day for us. Some of them donât make it back home, so anytime we can recognize them and keep them in the front of our mind, itâs very important,â Johnson said.
The projectâs approval earlier this year marked a key step for a city grappling with housing affordability and homelessness. Veterans Community Projectâs model pairs small, permanent supportive homes with on-site services, an approach the nonprofit has used in other cities. If fundraising stays on track, construction could begin next year on the South Oak Cliff site, bringing dozens of homes and renewed attention to a population that advocates say is too often overlooked.