HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation on Monday announced that it is planning to build a permanent housing community for veterans along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg.
When completed, the "Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village” will serve more than 80 veterans throughout the region, the nonprofit foundation said.
T2T said it recently submitted a development plan to the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board to construct a 64-unit apartment complex and 20 one-bedroom “Comfort Homes."
The Veterans Village is planned for 8.5 acres on South Front Street, just south of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) building along the river.
“No veteran should be homeless,” said Frank Siller, Chairman & CEO of T2T. “They put everything on the line for us. Unfortunately, many veterans feel lost when they return after their service, and thousands become homeless. That is unacceptable.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimated in 2023 that there were approximately 35,000 homeless veterans in the United States, an increase of 7.4% over the previous year.
Of that number, the VA estimated that some 15,000 veterans are living in parks, abandoned buildings, or literally on the street. The rest live in emergency shelters or transitional housing facilities.
Founded after the September 11 attacks, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation supports firefighters, law enforcement officers, Gold Star families and veterans by providing housing options for our heroes and paying off the mortgages for the families of fallen heroes.
In addition to Harrisburg, T2T has built and is planning to build and operate Veterans Villages in Houston, Atlanta, Memphis, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Charleston, Detroit and Denver, among many other places.
The Veterans Village in Harrisburg will feature support services for veterans, including job training, legal services, benefits assistance, education assistance and mental health support and counseling. The community will provide transportation resources for its residents, allowing them to find employment or visit nearby VA offices for assistance.
“Our Veterans Village program isn’t just about housing,” Siller said. “We ensure that our veterans have the resources they need to find a renewed purpose in life. From peer support to recovery groups to medical services, we ensure they have the direction and support they need to get their lives back on track.”
T2T prioritizes the safety of the Veterans Village residents and the surrounding community. Every Veterans Village includes aesthetically-pleasing perimeter fencing with a controlled entrance and exit to the community and 24-hour surveillance TV capturing the entire village.
The Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village is being constructed near a new transitional housing project for homeless veterans, known as “Veterans Grove” operated by Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania.
