Jonesboro gets $1 million grant for Veterans Village
by February 25, 2019 3:58 pm 547 views
The city of Jonesboro has received a $1 million grant from the Arkansas Development Finance Authority to create a Veterans Village. At least nine transitional homes for qualifying area veterans will be built and the goal is to provide basic necessities for those who have sacrificed for their country, Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Perrin said. “It’s an important part of our goal of eliminating homelessness, but it’s personal to me because I served in the military and was the son of a soldier. We should never let them down.”
The grant covers the cost of construction for the nine homes. The city has selected a 1.2-acre site for its Veterans Village, which will be operated by the Beck PRIDE Center for America’s Wounded Veterans. The grant requires that the project be completed within 18 months.
Key partners include Arkansas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Mark Berry, ADFA President Cheryl Schluterman, Arkansas State University Chancellor Kelly Damphousse, College of Nursing Dean Susan Hanrahan, and Beck PRIDE Center Director Lynda Nash.
City Grants and Community Development Director Tiffny Calloway called the grant award “something that all Jonesboro can be proud of.”
“It was an honor to have so many veterans’ service providers from throughout the community in support of this project,” she said.
Schluterman said Jonesboro was selected because of Jonesboro’s thorough commitment to veterans.
“ADFA is pleased to award the first National Housing Trust Fund grant to the Veterans Village,” Schluterman said. “We are very excited about this project, as it will benefit veterans, the city of Jonesboro and the state of Arkansas.”