Development underway on the new housing for veterans

Source: centeralny.ynn.com

By: YNN Web Staff

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From left, James Cody, Director, Syracuse VA Medical Center, Daniel Buyer, Assistant Commissioner for Regional Affairs for NYS Homes & Community Renewal, City Mayor Stephanie Miner, Syracuse, Robert VanKeuren, former VISN 2 Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program Coordinator, Nader P. Maroun, 5th District Councilman, Syracuse, Assemblymn Sam Roberts, NYS Assembly, Scott Edwards, President, Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation, and Pete Dougherty, Associate Executive Director, OPIA, Homeless Intiiatives Office, Department of Veterans Affairs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Work is now underway on a new center to help homeless vets in Syracuse. Officials broke ground on VanKeuren Square Thursday morning.

The $11.4 million project on East Genesee Street will be a one-stop shop for veterans. It will feature 50 apartments, along with a community room, computer lab and exercise facilities. The building will also house case management services to support vets.

It’s a project that speaks directly to the mission of the armed forces.

“You don’t leave anybody behind. You go back and get them, regardless of the cost. You don’t leave anybody behind, you reach out and you get them. Homeless veterans in this country for a long time have been left behind. Projects like this, the communities that come together like this, they hold true to the one thing that we always wanted to remember – you don’t leave anybody behind,” said Robert Van Keuren, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans co-founder.

VanKeuren Square was funded through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council.