VETERANS VILLAGE EMERGENCY & TRANSITIONAL HOUSING Case Study

Project: Veterans Village Emergency and Transitional Housing repurposed “Roadside Motel” in Downtown Las Vegas.

Year Built: 1960

Year Repurposed: 2012

Project Type: Developer - 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

Location: Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada

Impact on City: To develop an emergency and transitional housing village by renovating a slum dwelling in the center of a city into a one-stop residence and food pantry to rescue homeless veterans from the streets and to be a part of a neighborhood redevelopment/revitalization effort.

Project Size: 120 Room Motel Conversion

Founding Goal: To create a model for replication across the United States.

Archival Website: www.sharelasvegas.org

Home Depot Foundation $600k Grant Presentation.

Dr. Arnold Stalk, Ph.D, Founder Veterans Village, Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Coffin, City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman, Fred Wacker, COO of The Home Depot Foundation.

Veterans Village #1 is a re-purposed old roadside former Travelodge motel that was built in 1960. When we took it over, there were only nine motel rooms filled by rent-paying customers. The site was so neglected by the owners that it was overrun by prostitutes, drug dealers, gangs and squatters.

Through a series of extreme makeovers for which we got labor and materials donated, it took a few years to get the renovation done. We did all this while we were ramping up the occupancy, which made for a particularly difficult project to do in terms of day-to-day logistical operations.

We received a grant from The Home Depot Foundation to replace the roofs, the windows, flooring, repair of the boiler system, placing new window air conditioners in all units, resealing the parking areas and renovating the lobby reception area.

We also used this site to advocate for real change in the way our veterans were treated at the time. We had numerous elected officials, community activists, veterans' organizations, religious organizations, and private sector contributors help in many ways.

Veterans Village #1 paved the way for others to follow. Which they have. Many similar motel conversions have occurred in Southern Nevada utilizing Veterans Village #1 as a template for replication.

Share Village Las Vegas stopped managing this site in 2021 due to a lease dispute with the owners. This enabled us to concentrate on our master plan to end homelessness on the east end of downtown, which we have done.

Photos of the Veterans Village #1 renovation. The Home Depot Foundation helped us with financial and labor contributions. At times we had hundreds of volunteer workers on site. It was a phenomenal demonstration of the community coming together.