KCHA opens Liberty Lodge for vets

A $3.3-million complete rebuild of former The Journey Home property for young men is now known as Liberty Lodge and will be soon be populated by 14 homeless veterans in Kankakee.

The two-story property, which had served as the Senesac Funeral Home for years before being closed and sold to the Nexus-Indian Oaks Academy, of Manteno, to operate The Journey Home, has gone through a complete rebuild.

The last piece to the rebuild is the finishing touches on the addition to the property at 210 S. Washington Ave., an elevator.

The complex features six, first-floor single-bedroom units and eight, second-floor dwellings. Each apartment is a self-contained unit, meaning it has a kitchenette, refrigerator, stove, microwave as well as an enclosed bathroom and a bed.

Laundry facilities are shared. The building has a gathering area with a large-screen television and exercise equipment.

While there is some variation in apartment size, they are typically 250 square feet. The monthly rent is $715. Occupants will pay no more than 30% of their income for rent.

Some tenants will ultimately pay no rent.

There are also no restrictions regarding how long a tenant can stay. The goal is for them to get onto their feet and take their rental voucher to a new location to begin their life away from the complex, but that is up to each tenant.

As of Monday, however, the only thing missing were occupants.

“This will be an incredible stepping stone,” said Eric Peterson, the newly-appointed superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission for Kankakee County.

He labeled this a first-step in helping to get homeless veterans back upon their feet.

He hopes all units will be filled before 2024 turns into 2025.

‘JUST A START’

Currently, Randy McGill, executive director of the Kankakee County Housing Authority, the agency which owns and manages the site, has received seven applications. The VAC has eight completed applications.

“This has been a long time coming,” McGill said.

The project was approved by the Kankakee Planning Board in November 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed nearly every project while at the same time raising costs.

The South Washington Avenue project was no different.

But work kept moving forward and for 79-year-old former Marine Reservist Rich Kuyper, of Kankakee, seeing is believing.

He served from 1963 to 1969

“I love it. I love it,” he said as he toured the location.

Kuyper said this type of place is so needed.

He said he knows of a few homeless veterans who could very much use a location such as this to help get themselves back upon their feet.

Like so many others, Kuyper said 14 units should only be viewed as the starting point.

“We can always use more,” he said. “But this is just a start. This will help, and every veteran deserves help.”

30,000 HOMELESS VETS

According to a 2022 study by Valor Healthcare, there were more than 580,000 individuals in need of housing at the end of any given day in the United States. And while less than 10% of people in America are veterans, almost 13% of the adult population experiencing homelessness is comprised of veterans.

In January 2022, there were 33,129 veterans in need of housing. Of that total, 19,565 of those veterans were in a shelter and 13,564 were not.

Peterson, who became VAC superintendent in October, termed it amazing to see what this location has become.

“What this is,” he started before pausing. “It’s not just a building. People put in so much effort to make this happen for homeless vets. … This is home. It’s a place to feel support.”

The location and the support it offers, he said, will enable its occupants to rejoin their community.

“I see a community center for veterans. This is a place where they can feel comfortable,” he said.

One person touring the dwelling was Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis. He described the property with a single word: beautiful.

“Homelessness is a problem,” Curtis said. “Veteran homelessness is even a bigger problem, it’s tragic. I’m glad that this area is stepping up to deal with it.”

He noted veterans will be within walking distance of a grocery store. Within walking distance to a hospital. Within walking distance to entertainment. He said with public transportation, they will also be able to access care for veterans in Bourbonnais and educational opportunities at Kankakee Community College.

And while there was some concern about such a facility being near the city center, he said he doesn’t foresee issues.

“I firmly believe there will not be problems,” Curtis said. “This is going to be just fine. Vets deserve something like this.”

https://daily-journal.com/news/local/kcha-opens-liberty-lodge-for-vets/article_dc10221c-a066-11ef-8973-ef04496fee07.html