This project to support local, area veterans is gaining ground

A big idea for tiny homes for veterans is growing day by day.

The North Texas Veteran’s Relief Fund, a new non-profit organization, is heading up Base Camp Lindsey.

When complete, the development could include up to 50 small – about 12-foot by 20-foot – houses, community garden for growing food, prayer garden, community center, chapel and more.

The project is named for Felix L. Lindsey – a veteran, Buffalo Soldier during the Indian Wars and longtime resident of the Wichita Falls east side.

A five-year plan skyrocketed forward into a two-year plan when 3.5 acres of land was donated to the group for the project last year.

Virginia Arellano, NTVRF treasurer, said they currently have about $15,000 toward their goal of $500,000 for the project.

The camp is designed for homeless veterans to have a place to call home in a community that understands them.

The houses are designed as transitional living until the veterans can be assisted and move on with their lives. Some veterans may live at the camp permanently if it is no longer possible for them to live independently.

Arellano said each single-person house will include a sleeping area, sitting area, bathroom, closet and mini-kitchen with small refrigerator and microwave.

Each house costs about $10,000 and will be prefabricated off-site and brought to the property. The area will include handicapped-accessible homes and about 10 larger houses for veterans with families.

The community center will be one of the first things they build, she said, and will serve as a focus for the community. They will have a full kitchen and serve meals if residents choose to eat there rather than their home.

It is an exciting time for the nonprofit as they review the final touches of a site plan for the project.

There’s not much to see right now at the location on the south side of town - just a banner proclaiming Base Camp Lindsey will be coming soon.

Someday, though, this could be a refuge for dozens of formerly homeless veterans who thought they may never again sleep under their own roof.

Arellano said they will bring the master plan to the Wichita Falls Planning and Zoning Commission in April.

If the city approves their plan, the group will begin construction after enough funds are raised.

They hope to start the site with the community center, amenities and five houses. As funds allow, they will continue to add more homes.

The city P&Z Commission’s meeting March 14 included an item to consider proposing an ordinance to allow a reduction in the acreage of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) from five to three acres.

The move was prompted by the Camp Lindsey project to accommodate the unique development.

Arellano said donations have been trickling in, but she believes as more people and businesses become aware of what they are doing to benefit veterans, more donors will want to be involved.

On Monday, the group plans to accept a large donation from Brian’s Plumbing at the development site on Old Windthorst Road.

Other cities around the country have made the move toward tiny-home communities for the homeless. Kansas City has a site for 50 houses for veterans and dedicated its first home in May 2016.

A veterans homes project near Pittsburgh, Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, began raising funds for a 3.7-acre project in 2017, with a goal to raise about $5 million.

Austin boasts a 27-acre village called Community First! aimed at chronically homeless residents.

For those who want to help this project and have fun at the same time, the NTVRF is hosting a Frontier Days fundraiser from noon to 7 p.m. April 21, at Oscar Park in Iowa Park, near Gordon Lake. This is the second year for the nonprofit to host the event.

Arellano said Wild West-themed day will include a professional gunfighter show from a team out of Marlow, Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation dancers, and Army-Air Force flag football game live entertainment and many vendors.

Entry to the event is free and there will be donation jars “all over” with proceeds going to the Camp Lindsey project.

The NTVRF nonprofit was first formed as a way of filling in some of the gaps for veterans assistance, helping with small issues like paying utilities or getting a car repaired.

When possible, the organization aims to help an individual, or family, find what they need to get back on their feet.

The nonprofit said in an annual Homeless Account to Congress in 2016, it was determined that small, community-based outreach programs provide the most efficient and successful method for helping homeless veterans.

The group hopes Base Camp Lindsey will provide shelter and services to help veterans overcome obstacles that led to their homelessness.

Through various efforts, two states and 50 communities in the United States have declared that they have eliminated veteran homelessness.

NTVRF aims veterans in Archer, Clay, Wilbarger and Wichita counties.

For more information about the NTVRF and Base Camp Lindsey, visit their website at https://www.ntvrf.com/, or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NTVRF.