On Veterans Day, Kaid Benfield reports on efforts underway to house and serve America's veterans sustainably.
Although an overall unemployment rate for veterans lower than the national average is an encouraging sign, veteran homelessness remains an urgent problem in the United States, with those who served comprising a third of all US homeless men. In previous posts, Benfield has highlighted a supportive housing development in Milwaukee and a job training program in sustainable agriculture as examples of projects aiding veterans that deserve emulation. In this article, he adds to the list with descriptions of "encouraging projects that combine sustainability with support for veterans."
These include a cooperative multifamily housing project in Pittsfield, Massachusetts that is "intended to serve as a new national model for transitioning veterans from homelessness to homeownership;" "a new green, affordable housing complex exclusively for veterans" in Portland; a "deep-green" demonstration project in Haverhill, Massachusetts for veterans in transitional housing; and a national effort [PDF] to "incorporate a higher level of green building materials and processes into homes built for severely injured veterans."
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