Nonprofit builds small community of homes for veterans

Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania built 15 tiny houses in Harrisburg for homeless veterans.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Dauphin County nonprofit is opening a new tiny house community.

This home is located just off Front Street in Harrisburg and was built by Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania.

It calls the community Veterans Grove and its goal is to provide housing for veterans experiencing homelessness.

The village has been under construction since June 2023. It features 15 fully furnished small houses, which will provide temporary accommodation. The town will also feature a community center that offers therapeutic programs for residents.

According to the 2022 Homeless Spot Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are 778 homeless veterans in Pennsylvania and 75 in the Capitol region.

However, organizers with Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania say more than 300 veterans would need housing in the area in 2023.

Clinical directors say their goal is to address the root causes of veteran homelessness so they get back on their feet.

“Getting them out of that isolation and putting them in that group is a really powerful way to get them to forge connections with each other and have meaningful experiences that will help them be successful when they leave,” said Angel McLaughlin, clinical director of Pennsylvania Veterans Outreach .

The tiny houses will open their doors to the first group of veterans on June 10.

On Thursday, the organization will hold a ribbon-cutting at Veterans Grove.

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