Veterans ranging in age from 27 to 92 have found a home at Valley Brook Village in Lyons, N.J.
Built on the grounds of a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical campus, the 62-unit development is the area’s first housing project for homeless and at-risk vets.
The $15.7 million, village-style community takes advantage of its location to link the men and women residents with a full range of programs offered at the medical facility next door. Additional support is being provided on site, including two case managers and an employment training specialist.
Peabody Properties, along with Windover Construction and Community Hope, developed the project after obtaining a 75-year lease from the VA for 13 acres overlooking a golf course.
“We tried to make it residential and more of a village,” says Betsy Collins, senior project manager at Peabody. That’s why the development comprises three small buildings instead of one large structure.
Fifty units have Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers. Eleven residents hold tenant-based VASH certificates.
To meet the demand, developers are planning a 50-unit second phase.
