Local veteran center expands, tackles housing shortage
President and founder of the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center, Tom Eaton receives a plaque dedicating a wing of the facility in his honor, recognizing his leadership, service, and lasting commitment to the region’s veteran community.
Plans show single‑floor duplex homes proposed for development on the 16-acre Allegheny Valley Veterans Center property, a project aimed at providing additional and permanent residential support for veterans as well as low income families.
President and founder of the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center, Tom Eaton receives a plaque dedicating a wing of the facility in his honor, recognizing his leadership, service, and lasting commitment to the region’s veteran community.
Plans show single‑floor duplex homes proposed for development on the 16-acre Allegheny Valley Veterans Center property, a project aimed at providing additional and permanent residential support for veterans as well as low income families.
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The Allegheny Valley Veterans Center, located in the former Allegheny Valley Elementary School building offers supportive housing for veterans first and foremost. It is opening its doors even wider as plans continue, by addressing the area's housing instability and offering permanent housing for veterans as well as for low income families.
The AVVC is now officially a per diem program in which the VA will refer qualified veterans and pay AVVC to house them for a two-year program. Veterans living there under the program have requirements to participate in classes and counseling with the goal of transitioning back into society. This particular program brings federal money providing sustainability for AVVC's program.
"It isn’t how much money was made. It’s (about) what more can we provide? What more can we do? What more services can we throw out there? And we got a lot of them we can do," said Tom Eaton, AVVC president.
Eaton's attitude is that 'we're just getting started.' With 16 acres of land, and having succeeded in the five-year plan, the move for the next plan is underway. "Let’s go get that carrot. Our next big move is we’d like to build homes. We have the prints with ADA compliant homes. There are duplexes with three bedrooms on each side, so you have six bedrooms under one roof."
These homes which will be built in back of the school building will provide longevity for people to live on the property, be with the veterans, and essentially bring more people to Warren.
During a recent annual visit, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson said the plans for additional housing is incredible, as he noted that due to the housing issue being a limiting factor on workforce, AVVC is addressing it.
"It is amazing what came out of this. It’s just a great community facility, and it’s in addition to the just righteous purposes it serves. The fact is, you don’t have an abandoned school building that’s like a scar on the community. This is a shining star. I think this serves as a model for other communities to be able to replicate, and they’re serving not just veterans of Warren County, but they’re serving people from really all over the country."
The AVVC serves veterans throughout Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio.