Albany Times-Union: “To help make this a reality, U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a combat Army veteran, announced last week that he secured $1 million in federal funding for the project.”
Pat Ryan, an Iraq War veteran, is continuing to build on his strong record of delivering for the Hudson Valley, recently securing $1 million in federal funding for Rumshock Veterans Foundation’s unhoused vets tiny homes project in Orange County.
Ryan’s work will fund a “Victory Village” where unhoused veterans will have the opportunity to join a community and “live in small modular homes at a reduced cost and have access to reintegration services, job training and reliable transportation to health care appointments.”
DCCC Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty:
“Congressman Pat Ryan is delivering meaningful results for Hudson Valley veterans while his extreme MAGA opponent is aligning with the most far-right, dangerous members of the Republican Party. Ryan’s strong record of getting things done is why Hudson Valley voters will re-elect him in November.”
Read more below on Rep. Ryan’s critical work to provide support for veterans.
Whetsel, an Air Force veteran and the founder and president of Rumshock Veterans Foundation, has dealt with five years of delays in his effort to build “Victory Village,” a supportive community for unhoused veterans, where they can live in small modular homes at a reduced cost and have access to reintegration services, job training and reliable transportation to health care appointments.
In addition to the houses, residents will have a shared community space with a commercial kitchen where they can dine, work and play pinball together. The community building will also have a three-bay garage where any veteran in Orange County can have their car worked on for free. There are also plans for an onsite recycling center.
Whetsel plans to charge $1,100 in rent for each unit, which will cover everything, including amenities and utilities — which shouldn’t be too costly, since the homes will run on solar power. The rent price is based on how much Whetsel believes it will cost to make the village self-sustaining. But nobody will be penalized or evicted if they can’t afford it, he said.
To help make this a reality, U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a combat Army veteran, announced last week that he secured $1 million in federal funding for the project.
“The Rumshock Veterans Foundation is grateful for Rep. Pat Ryan’s continued support and dedication to helping the veterans community of Orange County,” Whetsel said in a statement when the funding was announced. “We are excited to continue our mission of helping every single veteran that is in need and creating a community to support the heroes that served and continue to serve our nation.”
In the coming months, the Rumshock Veterans Village project in Port Jervis will advance due to Congressman Pat Ryan’s (D, NY-18) successful acquisition of $1 million to advance the project’s development.
This weekend, the congressman will formally announce the donation. Ten tiny homes for veterans will be constructed with the help of the funds on property owned by local developer and veteran supporter Bill Whetsel.
Stan Siegel, the veterans representative for Port Jervis Council, brought the idea to Whetsel’s attention and helped move it through the planning processes. Veteran homelessness, suicides, and assistance outreach are national challenges.
