DANVILLE —
Plans are in the works to build 65 housing units for veterans on the former golf course at the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System.
Mercy Housing, based in Chicago, is developing the project, and expects to have all the agreements in place by the end of the year.
“Everyone is moving to make this a reality as quickly as possible,” said Dave Lyon, regional director of housing development with Mercy.
Lyon and others were in Danville on Thursday to meet with VA and city officials about the project, which will be built on 15 acres south of the new veterans’ village.
“We’re giving them the land,” said Michael Hamilton, Illiana’s executive director. “They will build it (the apartments) and maintain it. This is a major construction project at no cost to the VA.”
The apartments (one, two and three bedrooms) will be for disabled and homeless veterans and their families.
The first part of next year will be devoted to getting financing for the project, Lyon said. Also, the company will work with the city to obtain zoning and building permits.
Construction could start next October. The general contractor, Henry Brothers of Hickory Hills, is committed to hiring local crews, Lyon said.
The project will serve older vets who might be single, as well as recently returning vets with families. The facility will be inter-generational, he said.
“This is an opportunity for families to find suitable housing near supportive services,” Lyon said.
Besides housing, Mercy also provides programs to help people in need find jobs and affordable health care.
Several other VA centers across the country also are launching housing projects as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Building Utilization Review and Repurposing initiative. The idea is to develop VA land and buildings that aren’t being used.
The VA is permitting third-party providers to finance, design, develop, maintain and operate housing and on-site supportive services on a priority basis for vets and their families.
Nationwide, more than 1,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for veterans will be built.
The co-location of these projects on VA campuses ensures that veterans have ready access to care and treatment designed to help them attain long-term independence.
In August, the Illiana System held a public hearing to find agencies, developers and individuals interested in building housing for at-risk veterans.
The lease term is for 75 years; at the end of that term, the property and improvements would revert to the VA.
Mercy Housing’s mission is to develop, finance and operate affordable, program-enriched housing communities for families, seniors and people with special needs who lack the economic resources to access quality, safe housing opportunities.
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Housing project for vets moves ahead
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