Veterans Community Project had high hopes of finishing the construction of its 26 tiny homes by the end of the year. The nonprofit announced this week that it is taking a moment to focus on closing the gap in its capital funding project.
In August, VCP announced that inflation and increases in construction materials had created a $900,000 gap in capital funding to complete the construction project. On Wednesday, Jennifer Seybold said the final estimate is closer to $1.2 million.
“It’s no surprise to anybody that the cost of everything has pretty much elevated,” Seybold said.
So far the organization has raised all but the final 20% of the funds but sees the start of winter as a good time to pause construction efforts.
“For the next six to eight months, we are going to focus on getting the funds rather than piece-mealing our dollars throughout the end of the project. We’re just going to work on making sure we close that gap,” Seybold said.
Seybold said, the pause is intentional and she expects construction to start again in May. The goal is to focus the limited resources and staff the nonprofit has on fundraising during a time when construction is difficult and volunteers are more limited. When construction begins again, Seybold expects the final steps to go quickly because VCP will have the funds necessary and on hand to finish the project. She expects the entire project to finish in August 2024.
VCP moved in the first four veterans in August. It plans to finish two more tiny homes in the coming weeks which will house two more veterans before the holiday season begins, Seybold said.
The other homes are already winter-ready, Seybold said, so the winter weather will not damage them.
Since the project launched, volunteers have shown up three days a week and have been vital in getting the homes to their current state, Seybold said. During the pause, volunteers will not be needed to help with tiny home construction but are needed in other areas.
Volunteers can find opportunities to help by visiting VCP’s website.
Seybold is also looking for people to serve as VCP advocates who will be able to raise awareness about the work happening at the village and to raise funds to complete the project. If you are interested in becoming a VCP advocate please contact Seybold at [email protected].
