January–July 2025
From move-ins to move-outs, we’re moving forward, together.
vcp.org
Congrats, Kendrick!
The U.S. Air Force Veteran moved in with the emotional baggage of experiencing homelessness after eight years in the military. He moved out with a smile and a bright future.
When we first started Veterans Community Project in 2016, we were just a group of combat Veterans united by an idea—and a promise. A promise that every Veteran, regardless of discharge status or circumstance, deserves dignity, respect, and the opportunity to move forward with their lives.
For some Veterans, “moving in” means stepping into their first safe space in years—a tiny home that offers more than shelter; it offers stability, dignity, safety, peace, and a new beginning.
“Moving out” marks something even greater: the moment they’re ready to transition to their own sustainable permanent housing, empowered with the tools, community, and confidence they’ve built during their time at VCP.
And “moving forward”—well, that’s the heart of it all. Because this isn’t just about housing. It’s about healing. Growth. Purpose. It’s about rewriting the narrative from surviving to thriving. Every single success story in these pages started the same way: with someone like you who believed in the mission. Your compassion fuels every step forward that a Veteran takes here at VCP.
You’ve created a space where transformation is possible—where Veterans aren’t just moving forward, they’re moving forward together, with all of us walking beside them.
Thank you for having our back.
Brandonn Mixon Co-Founder and Chief Project Officer Veterans Community Project U.S.
Army Veteran
1,153 at-risk & in-crisis VETERANS have received assistance through VCP in 2025
3,199
Life-changing services provided to Veterans at sites nationwide
38
New Veterans welcomed home at VCP Villages so far in 2025
1,484 Pantry boxes, hygiene kits, and snack bags distributed to Veterans and their families
$896
Average amount of emergency funds shared with Veterans in crisis
126
Veterans screened for suicide prevention via the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Grant program
Veterans at VCP are doing more than finding shelter—they’re rebuilding their lives with dignity, purpose, and hope. Every day, your generosity helps them move forward and write the next chapter in their story. Here are a few of the powerful transformations you’re inspiring through your continued support of this mission.
moved in after a community partner helped him secure a DD214 form documenting his military service—something he had lived without for half a century and chalked up to overlooked paperwork in the wake of the Vietnam War. Will said that the social worker told him that being able to answer ‘Yes’ to the ‘Are you a Veteran?’ question could open doors. And it did.
said that 240 square feet has made all the difference in the world. It is a stark contrast, he noted, to living in his car while also working full time as a rideshare driver. “I finally have space to breathe,” he explained.
rediscovered his love of painting inside his 240-square-foot home. He spends an hour or two every day with a brush in his hand—a drastic change from sleepless nights taking shelter in a park bathroom. He spoke to the impact of VCP supporters on his life, saying, “This isn’t like when you donate to a place and never see the impact... here, just give it a couple months and you’ll see the change in front of your eyes.”
remains in close touch with her Veteran neighbors from VCP, even though she has moved out into her own place. She said those lifelong friendships all stemmed from when, on the brink of homelessness, she stopped by our Outreach Center for help with a bus pass. It turned into much more, she says, “VCP is not just a place to live—it’s a life changer. If you’ve supported VCP, know that you’ve helped someone.”
welcomed a service dog, Reya, into his life this year to help with his mental health. It is VCP policy to welcome pets, knowing that for many Veterans can remain homeless rather than abandoning them. Tony reflected on that, saying, “A lot of places don’t care about the pets. But here, we’re treated like a unit. That matters.”
To see your impact, read more Veteran stories like these on our blog at vcp.org/blog
Six years ago, U.S. Army Veteran and Boulevard Brewing Regional Market Manager Steve Linder made a $25 donation to Veterans Community Project and sparked something powerful. He became the very first member of our Honor Corps, VCP’s monthly giving community.
Since then, more than 500 others have joined him, giving an average of $47.75 per month. Showcasing the power of community, they’ve now surpassed $1 million in donations, providing dozens of Veterans with the dignity of home.
“The value of transforming a Veteran’s life is priceless, right?” said VCP Co-Founder Brandonn Mixon. “But it is not without cost. It costs about $15,000 per year to help one Veteran rebuild. Thanks to the power of monthly donations dozens of Veterans have regained the dignity of home and changed the trajectory of their lives.” Mixon added, “Thank you to Steve and to everyone in this incredible Honor Corps community—we can’t do this work without you.”
You can join Honor Corps today with your monthly gift at vcp.org/honor-corps
Under the desert sun and surrounded by hundreds of smiling community members, we broke ground on Veterans Community Project of Glendale in Arizona on February 1.
The location will soon include 50 homes for Veterans experiencing homelessness in the region. Support for the project is broad, as the groundbreaking event featured speeches by Governor Katie Hobbs, U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego, U.S. Congressman Abe Hamadeh, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, as well as a $250,000 donation from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Thank you, VCP, for believing in Arizona... you will save lives here.”
- Senator Ruben Gallego
Senator Gallego, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, spoke about how his Marine unit faced challenges with work, housing, and post-traumatic stress when transitioning to civilian life. He said that experience is part of why he supports the mission to fix Veteran homelessness and believes in VCP’s 85% success rate to do it.
Before grabbing a shovel and turning the ceremonial dirt with his 7-year-old son, who was among the crowd of well over 100 supporters, Gallego said, “Thank you, VCP, for believing in Arizona… you will save lives here.”
So far in 2025, you’ve made these key milestones for Veterans possible.
You came together in the wake of tragedy and natural disaster when our Village became a resource hub to help the community—Veterans and civilians alike—recover from the tornado that hit the area on May 16.
You joined us in breaking ground on the Veterans Navigation Campus, bringing together community resources to prevent Veteran homelessness and address the crisis of Veteran suicide.
Your unwavering support kept up the momentum as a $250,000 gift from Milwaukee Tool and enthusiastic new political support moved us one step closer to breaking ground in 2025.
You celebrated Veterans with us at a housewarming ceremony for our newly completed Village of 26 tiny homes, the first community of transitional homes located within a new housing development.
You stopped by to help bring our new Village Center building to life, whether when a Veteran resident used it to practice as a barber or a community member hosted puppy yoga.
We know that with the right ingredients—political will, philanthropic support, and property acquisition—that our model can fix Veteran homelessness in any major city. And for a long time, it looked like Oklahoma City would be home to the next Veterans Community Project.
Our journey began with momentum. Former NBA and longtime Oklahoma City Thunder player Nick Collison championed the project and introduced us to civic leaders and potential funders. However, challenges mounted when it came to securing property. After connecting with a local pastor and Vietnam Veteran who offered us a plot of land, we began to encounter unexpected resistance from a single outspoken local elected leader.
There was a clear need for our program, with the VA and HUD estimating at least 125 Veterans are currently experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City. And in the vast majority of our conversations with community members, we heard a strong desire to address the issue.
For those reasons, we remained committed and worked over three years to find the right fit. But when that same political opposition and power dynamics drove a ‘no’ vote earlier this year from a planning commission, it was time to make a difficult decision.
The reality was this: We are a lean organization, and every hour our team spent navigating the gridlock was an hour not housing Veterans somewhere else. Because demand from other cities and communities is so high, in February, we decided that VCP would no longer actively pursue expansion to Oklahoma City.
Ultimately, the failure to build reiterates the importance of stakeholder engagement, especially those with influence on broader decision making. Throughout our history, each VCP expansion site has benefitted from our experience in the ones that preceded it—and the same is true here.
Interestingly, coverage in The Oklahoman has already spurred interest 125 miles east in Tulsa.
And although we are not ready to announce our next location, one thing remains clear:
The mission continues.
In January, nationally recognized homelessness advocate Marqueia Watson joined VCP as our National Director of Veteran Support Services.
In the newly created role, Watson is leading the strategic design, oversight, and implementation of VCP programming in support of our mission to fix Veteran homelessness across the United States.
“The problem of homelessness is complex,” she said. “But these are all human beings. Each with their own unique needs and their own personal stories. And, importantly, each with an infinite capacity to change.”
Watson, a Los Angeles native who holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Kansas, joins VCP after previously serving as Executive Director of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, which was the regional lead agency under the Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care. In that role, she served as a state advocacy captain on Capitol Hill and spoke at conferences such as for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. She has also regularly partnered with VCP, which was founded and is headquartered in Kansas City.
“The
problem of homelessness is complex, but these are all human beings. Each with their own unique needs and their own personal stories. And, importantly, each with an infinite capacity to change.”
Among Watson’s top priorities in the role are ensuring the highest quality standard of services for Veterans across VCP locations, building relationships in new communities, and lifting up the voices of residents. “There are opportunities to further elevate the perspectives of the Veterans who we serve—perhaps as mentors, staff, or board members,” she said.
In May, Veterans Community Project Chief Executive Officer Bryan Meyer and United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson were honored by the Truman Foundation in a celebration of the legacy of President Harry S. Truman.
Justice Jackson was honored with the 2025 Good Neighbor Award for exemplary public service while Meyer was awarded the 2025 Philip Pistilli Silver Veterans Medal for distinguished military service and innovative community work supporting Veterans.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Truman Foundation,” said Meyer, who is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. “And like any worthwhile thing I have done in my life, the credit is shared with the people around me whose collective effort made it possible—whether fellow Marines or supporters of Veterans Community Project.”
At an annual event that took place on the May 8 birthday of President Truman, Meyer shared the stage with Justice Jackson and joined an esteemed list of public figures who have been honored by the Truman Foundation, including former U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton, former U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, journalists Walter Cronkite and Bob Woodward, and others over the past five decades.
“It is incredibly humbling,” Meyer said, continuing, “to be recognized alongside people whose visionary leadership has made such a positive impact on my community and our country.”
NATIONAL PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
In April, Armed Forces Bank launched a creative new program to make it easy for customers to help Veterans experiencing homelessness regain the dignity of home.
They introduced the Heroes Round Up program, where you can elect to round up your debit card purchases to the nearest dollar with the difference becoming an easy donation to Veterans Community Project. So, for example, your $3.64 cup of coffee purchase would be rounded up to $4.00 with the $0.36 difference going toward supporting at-risk and in-crisis Veterans.
“Everything we do is about making life easier and better for service members, Veterans and their families,” said Tom McLean, Senior Vice President and Military Regional Executive at Armed Forces Bank. “We believe we are uniquely qualified to do that, because 75% of our staff are military-affiliated, meaning they or someone they love has served.”
Join Armed Forces Bank in the Heroes Round Up program and transform your spare change from daily transactions into safe, stable homes for Veterans in need—giving those who served a fresh start and a future.
Enroll in the Heroes Round Up program today at afbank.com/heroes-round-up
NATIONAL PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
In June, Veterans Community Project was announced as one of 100 recipients of the 2025 Lowe’s Hometowns grant program. Through the national program, Lowe’s is donating $245,000 to VCP of Kansas City for several projects in our community of 49 tiny homes for Veterans. Lowe’s Hometowns is a five-year, $100 million commitment to repair and restore community spaces across the United States. Last year, VCP of Sioux Falls received $305,000 to get several tiny homes move-in ready for Veterans.
“Lowe’s is changing the lives of Veterans with this support,” said Liz Mueller, National Director of Philanthropy at Veterans Community Project. “Our combat Veteran founders began VCP with a bold new vision and a shared determination to do better for those who served—and it has been the support of partners like Lowe’s that has turned into a reality.”
Veterans need support more than ever. We can’t do this without you.
Each year, thousands of people just like you help build tiny houses, organize donation drives, host fundraisers, or find other creative ways to serve those who raised their hand to serve us. We are a community of action-minded and compassionate life-changers. We do more than thank a Veteran for their service.
Join Honor Corps | vcp.org/honor-corps
You can join a community of dedicated individuals who commit to investing in the lives of Veterans in need. Your recurring monthly gift of $15, $25, $50 (or any amount you choose) helps to sustain the life-changing services offered to Veterans through our residential and outreach programs.
Donate goods | vcp.org/donate-goods
Your donation of food and hygiene items help Veterans get through the day. Your donation of household items help turn our transitional houses into homes for Veterans in need.
Raise funds | vcp.org/host-an-event
You can play a crucial role in organizing and hosting fundraising events to raise awareness of and collect funds that support and further VCP’s mission to help Veterans in need.
Enlist to volunteer | vcp.org/volunteer
You fuel our community. Volunteers like you help build and maintain the Village, pack food and hygiene bags, manage administrative tasks, assist with community events, and so much more.
Headquartered in Kansas City, MO
Villages in Kansas City, MO; Longmont, CO; Sioux Falls, SD; and St. Louis, MO
Villages coming soon in Glendale, AZ and Milwaukee, WI
© 2025 Veterans Community Project. All Rights Reserved.
OUR MISSION Veterans housing Veterans, armed with the strength and support of the community. COR_OPS_MKT_0725
JOIN THE MISSION vcp.org | 816-599-6503