TOGUS – A neighborhood is emerging at the rear of the Veterans Affairs campus at Togus that represents 10 years of perseverance by a Brunswick-based volunteer group, and their community of support.

The culmination of hundreds of meetings, re-focuses, red tape, and naysayers is a cluster of small homes for homeless, and at-risk of being homeless, veterans and their families.

Having grasped that veterans cannot concentrate on their health if they’re thinking of where their next meal or bed will be, Northern New England Volunteers of America stepped up with a housing project.

Because of the process, 20 individuals and families not only have permanent roofs, but have been removed from the isolation of homelessness and re-integrated into a community.

Homelessness isolates, according to VOA representatives, as they celebrated the newly opened Cabin in the Woods housing project, Friday, Sept. 21, at Togus.

The homes are intentionally built in a quiet area, away from traffic and stress. They are close to medical appointments. Yet, nearer at hand, the housing units are close enough for friendly interaction and sharing of similar experiences.

 Leaving vets to fend for themselves in their cars, in the woods, in the shelters, is to continue to isolate the same soldiers who were called upon to protect the country.

Two 5-year-old boys, having met only within the last month or so, are now best friends, according to Charlee Noble, a VOA administrator who works on-site. The boys live next door to each other. One lives with two parents. The other lives with his grandmother.

At least one adult in each household is a veteran, fortunate enough to qualify for one of 21 one- and two-bedroom homes constructed for the purpose of providing permanent housing.

As of September 21, one unit remains unclaimed. The rest are being filled, six at a time. And not just by locals.

Steve McFarland was a resident of Florida before moving to Maine and living a homeless existence for a time. Another unit is occupied by a veteran from Berlin, New Hampshire.

The application vetting is based on income requirements. Criminals of terrible acts and sexual predators won’t pass. Everyone else has a fair chance.

“I think, from my understanding, this is a marker kind of project,” Congresswoman Chellie Pingree told attendees. “One that will be distinct and unusual. I think it will be a model for many other places.” 

Pingree said that nearly a fifth of Maine residents are either active duty, or have served in the military.

The 2016 census indicates a decrease in national average of homeless veterans from 74,000 to 40,000, with an estimated 200 homeless veterans in Maine, she said.

The numbers appear promising. Yet, as thrilled as Bruce Poliquin said he was during the ceremony, he also looked to the future.

“When are you going to start on the next 21 units?” he said.

The list of speakers during the ceremony included:

• Richard Hooks Wayman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Volunteers of America Northern New England
• June Koegel, Executive Vice President, and COO, Volunteers of America
• Congressman Bruce Poliquin
• Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
• Aaron Pierce, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• A representative from the office of Senator Susan Collins
• Teague Morris, Office of Senator Angus King
• Dan Brennan, Director, Maine State Housing Authority
• William Burney, Field Office Director, US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Ryan Lilly, Director, VA New England Healthcare Systems

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com