Homeless Heroes announced last week that it was able to close on its planned purchase of the Astro Motel after many years of fundraising and trying to find a piece of land to create homes for homeless veterans in the area.
The purchase comes just over a year after a planned location fell through that would have been donated land for a tiny home veteran community near River Road. Infrastructure, property value, and safety concerns were all cited as reasons for objections to the proposed facility, which would have been outside the Amarillo city limits.
Tiffaney Belflower has pursued this project for most of the last decade, having a heart to help veterans due to her own family experiences. Little did she know that she would discover a much better logistical location that would need minor infrastructure improvements to accommodate veterans at the Astro Motel, which is located across from the Thomas E Creek Medical Center. The Astro Motel has resources that will be available to its occupants. Within the office area, other resources will be brought to veterans, and a common area will be staffed.
After a solid push to raise enough money for the $565,000 needed to purchase the property, Belflower has found a home for her group’s project. The current 20-room configuration will be turned into 14 to 15 single or double-person units that will have a full kitchen and laundry for use by each resident. Each room will be HUD (Housing and Urban Development) compliant and will have a sponsor that will work to get every room furnished with all the equipment it requires, so each room could be decorated differently depending on the sponsor.
Belflower said that finally reaching this point is a blessing, and it took a lot of effort from her supporters and the community.
“It’s pretty damn incredible that we finally have a piece of land to develop for this project and, even better, will not have to start from the ground up,” Belflower said. “It is in a perfect location across from the VA (Veterans Affairs), and to see this finally come to fruition is a dream come true. Now we can create something tangible to help make a difference for these veterans.”
She emphasizes that there is a lot of work to do and encourages all who said that they wanted to support the project if a proper location was found to step up.
“We have heard from a lot of companies and individuals that have said they wanted to help,” Belflower said. “I hope people keep following our journey, and if they see a need that we may have and are willing to help in those areas, we more than appreciate it. We need help in many ways, not just financial. We have lots of opportunities to help in so many ways, and we would be honored for any community involvement that we get moving forward.”
Chris Israel, executive director of Homeless Heroes, spoke about the next steps to get the property ready for homeless veterans.
“Our first priority is to secure the property and make it secure,” he said. “Then we will work with philanthropic entities that will do the finishing packages on these units with the installation of appliances and other furnishings. They will not pay us but do the work on these units to comply with their needs. We will give them the standards of what we expect, and they will come in and outfit each unit from floor to ceiling. “
With these entities coming in and working on different rooms, Israel expects that each room will have a slightly different flavor that will reflect the sponsor. Israel says that while the facility will accept married couples, there will be no children residing in the units.
“All of our veterans will be coming from the street; there are resources and programs readily available for homeless veteran families,” Israel said. “We will cater to the individual or two-adult families.”
The rooms, which are about 350 square feet (about the area of a parking space), will be upgraded to about 500 to 550 square feet (about twice the area of a parking space). Israel says he hopes that the first phase of the project, which will come in three phases, will be complete by Veterans’ Day with five units available.
“These will not be luxury but amenity-driven. They will be better than any low-income housing in town,” Israel added. “We will get our veterans the help and assistance they need to be eligible for. Many veterans do not know all the benefits and resources available to them.”
Veterans who stay in the facility are expected to be housed for 12 to 36 months, depending on their situation, until they can get permanent housing.
“Everything from furniture to appliances will be provided so a veteran can just walk into his unit with his backpack on and have a place to live and be off the streets,” Israel said. “Many will probably get their first sound night of sleep for the first time in months.”
Those interested in volunteering or donating they can contact the organization at 806-340-3510 or go to the Homeless Heroes website at .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Homeless Heroes secures funds to buy Astro Motel for veterans space
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