Jonesboro Veterans Village receives $250,000 from AG’s office

A one-of-a-kind project in Jonesboro has received the last piece of funding to complete the project later this spring. Mayor Harold Copenhaver told Talk Business & Politics the city has received a $250,000 donation from Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to be used to complete the Jonesboro Veterans Village.

The Veterans Village is Arkansas’ first neighborhood providing housing and resources for homeless veterans. It is a block of new small homes at the corner of North Patrick Street and Aggie Road.

Rutledge’s donation helps complete the project.

“During my campaign, I was made aware that the special circumstances of 2020 caused a rise in pricing leaving Veterans Village around a quarter-million dollars from completion,” Copenhaver said. “Within minutes, I opened dialogue with Attorney General Rutledge, and the result of that conversation was a very generous commitment by her.”

The project, conceived in 2017, was initiated with a $1 million grant from the Arkansas Department of Finance Administration. It is on schedule for completion in March. The grant covered the cost of construction for the nine homes. The city has selected a 1.2-acre site, which will be operated by the Beck PRIDE Center for America’s Wounded Veterans.

“I’m proud to have allocated $250,000 from my office to ensure Arkansas veterans have a place to lay their heads,” Rutledge said. “Our veterans and service members have given much for our nation so that we may be the land of the free, and we must ensure our brave have a place to call home.”

Jonesboro Grants and Community Development Director Regina Burkett said grants, donations and public-private partnerships have paid for the entirety of roughly $1.35 million for nine houses.

Arkansas has 230,000 veterans, including more than 6,000 in Craighead County. It is estimated that more than 500 are homeless throughout the state.