The City of Longmont, HMS Development and the Mountain Brook Metro District have partnered to take an extraordinary step forward in the development of a new housing concept for veteran’s communities combatting homelessness. The innovative Mountain Brook community in Longmont has developed a tiny home village, specifically for veterans. Despite initial skepticism to the buildout of this new community, developer Kevin Mulshine’s donation of 2.4 acres in the Mountain Brook neighborhood to the Veterans Community Project (VCP) is proving that compassion can be a powerful amenity in real estate development.
In 2018, Mulshine, the developer behind the community, joined a task force to create transitional housing for veterans in Longmont. These last five years of constructing Colorado’s first veteran’s community has proved to be anything but easy. Despite the setbacks that came with neighborhood resistance and economic downturns from COVID-19, Mulshine continued to pursue the vision and buildout of this new community. “We’d do this all day long. It’s a nice thing to do, and everybody wants to help a veteran,” said Mulshine.
Inspired by VCP’s vibrant and volunteer-centric model in Kansas City, Missouri, Mulshine embraced the idea of incorporating transitional housing for veterans into a new development in Colorado. He donated land in the Mountain Brook community which offers 26 sophisticated tiny homes with stone siding, porches, and essential amenities to make a well-rounded, fully functional housing community. It aims to provide housing for veterans experiencing homelessness, offering a supportive environment to help them rebuild their lives. Veterans at Mountain Brook receive comprehensive support, including help with accessing VA benefits, healthcare, budgeting, job training, and building a network in the community. The biggest emphasis within the village is on ‘Housing First,’ which addresses homelessness by providing stable housing. The project exemplifies what can be accomplished through thoughtful partnership between municipalities, developers, metro districts and community participation, with almost all labor and funding being generously donated. While the city of Longmont has waived fees and expedited permitting, additional funding of approximately $6.4 million was needed to complete construction.
To qualify for a tiny home, veterans must maintain sobriety, have a clean record, and engage in self-improvement, such as actively job seeking. The tiny homes will provide a safe and supportive environment for veterans ready to work on their personal development. As the project nears completion, Longmont’s innovative approach to addressing veteran homelessness has set an example for other communities to consider the needs of some of its most vulnerable members.