MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Twenty-three tiny homes for veterans will be opening soon in Myrtle Beach.
The Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center said it’s about a month away from opening its tiny homes village. The project has been in the works for more than two years.
“There is going to be a lot of tears because there’s been a lot of sweat,” said Doug Allen, chief operating officer of the Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center, which aims to get veterans off the street and into homes and new lives.
“That’s a tough thing to swallow,” Allen said. “We shouldn’t have homeless veterans. However, we do, and we are doing our best to get some of those ladies and gentlemen off the street and get their lives back on track again.”
Since News13 last talked with the center in December, the homes have been furnished and landscaping has been completed. The final step is completing the parking lot which Allen said should take about two to three weeks.
“We have to put in some incidentals and, you know, the livable things right now,” Allen said. “It’s just a bed and, you know, refrigerator, microwave that aren’t hooked up.”
Once the parking lot is complete, the center will work with city officials to schedule an inspection certifying occupancy. After that, TVs will be hung on walls, and pots and pans will be placed inside the homes for move-in day.
Allen said he’s excited to see these veterans happy again.
“However, if and when the veteran is able to afford a nominal rent, they will pay a nominal rent and eventually we’ll get them back on their feet well enough that they’ll want to move out onto their own,” Allen said.
He said they’re planning Phase 2, which includes a resource center next to the village, so donations are always needed. He said he hopes to welcome the veterans home sometime in June.