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Mott Foundation grants $500,000 to support village for unhoused veterans in Flint

Flint Area

Meeting Evolving Community Needs

A small gray home with a white door and a wood porch and fence, photographed on a snowy, gray day.
A model home, built by Innovative Tiny Homes, showcases a future home design created for Sacred Heart Village. Photo: Jenifer Veloso

Flint, Michigan — The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation granted $500,000 to Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties to support the creation of a village of smaller homes that will serve as transitional housing for local veterans.

Sacred Heart Village, slated for construction at 719 E. Moore St. in Flint, will consist of 24 to 26 homes ranging from 280 to roughly 500 square feet each. All will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and eight will be barrier-free. The village also will feature a community resource center that will provide a range of health care, educational, and other supportive services and programs and help to foster a sense of belonging among neighbors with shared life experiences.

A rendering shows the future site of Sacred Heart Village, with two parking lots, a large community resource center, and a number of small homes.
The rendering shows plans for Sacred Heart Village, which will include one-bedroom and studio homes, as well as a community resource center. Phase 1 of development will include construction of 12 to 14 single-person homes. Image: Sedgewick + Ferweda Architects

“It’s a transitional, integrated, trauma-informed approach for veterans to establish stability and learn the skills necessary to live independently and integrate into society,” said Katie Baxter, president and CEO of Catholic Charities. “We want them to be successful, independent and achieve their life goals.”

The creation of Sacred Heart Village is just one part of the holistic program for veterans that Catholic Charities leads and coordinates. Two of the most important characteristics of the program are that it’s tailored to each person and that veterans can receive support and resources no matter their discharge status.

“When we started working with different veteran organizations, we realized there is a huge gap in services. This gap is caused because, if you do not meet the qualifications per the government agency, then you do not get benefits. So, someone can serve for years, but if their discharge status is not what is considered ‘honorable,’ then they don’t have those benefits,” said Gerri Lajewski, director of development of Catholic Charities. “By keeping things privately funded, that allows us to do what Catholic Charities has been doing for over 81 years, and that’s filling in the gaps. It allows us to be flexible.”

A bearded man wearing a hat and coat stands in front of a small grayish blue house.
Daniel Vela, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient, poses for a portrait in front of a model home located on Root Street across from Catholic Charities in Flint. Photo: Jenifer Veloso

Lance Corporal Daniel Vela has worked to support Flint area veterans since he returned home in 2009 from his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. So, when he was asked to join the planning committee for the Sacred Heart Village in 2023, he was excited for the opportunity.

“This is the type of community where we’re always helping out veterans. And I’m thankful Catholic Charities is getting veterans’ perspectives on this to make sure they don’t fall into stereotypical views of veterans. Every veteran is different, and we can’t lose sight of the person,” said Vela, a Purple Heart recipient who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I felt heard, and they asked a lot of good questions.”

Vela, who was born and raised in Flint, said returning home to civilian life was difficult — even with a strong support system. He hopes this new programming will be a positive step forward to support veterans wherever they are in their journey.

“Let’s introduce them to everyone they need to meet to get started on the right foot and prevent them from ending up on the streets in the first place,” Vela said. “This new village just made sense. We already have an army of people here ready to help. As a veteran, as a person from Flint, it makes me feel good to see this village for veterans created. I really think we can do this right.”

A small modern kitchen has white counters and gray walls.

The kitchen inside the model home, built by students at Genesee Career Institute, features light colors and a modern design. The home, located on Root Street, highlights a potential design for Sacred Heart Village.

Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A small modern kitchen has white counters and gray walls. A glass cooktop is on the counter and a microwave hangs under a cupboard.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A contemporary style neutral colored bathroom is under construction. A shower curtain and rod rest on the floor.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A small grayish blue house with a wood porch on a snowy day.

A new smaller home, built at Genesee Career Institute, sits on display across the street from Catholic Charities. The model home has one bedroom and is approximately 500 square feet.

Photo: Jenifer Veloso
Two small homes are shown on a snowy, gray day.

Two newly built smaller homes sit on display across the street from Catholic Charities. The homes each have one bedroom and are approximately 500 square feet.

Photo: Jenifer Veloso
The exterior of a small gray home is dotted with windows and has a wood porch.

A newly built smaller home, built by Innovative Tiny Homes, sits on display across the street from Catholic Charities.

Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A modern kitchen has dark wood cabinets and light wood trim. A chair with angel wings is off to the side.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A new bathroom has dark wood vanity and light wood trim.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A bedroom has light wood trim and white walls.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso
A new kitchen has dark brown cupboards and light wood trim.
Photo: Jenifer Veloso

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Sacred Heart Village will be an exciting addition to the Flint community, said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation.

“This is a great way to honor veterans who’ve served our country, and it will contribute not only to their well-being and success, but to that of the community as a whole,” White said. “Catholic Charities is taking an innovative approach to supporting veterans, and the Mott Foundation is happy to play a role in making it happen.”

The construction of Sacred Heart Village is an ambitious project, with groundbreaking planned for this summer and the first phase of construction anticipated to be completed by January 2025. Trauma-informed design will be used in the construction of each home, which will have clear lines of sight, no shared walls and a bathroom door that does not extend to the floor. These elements are intended to provide the veterans with a greater sense of safety and peace of mind.

A group of young people stand on scaffolding while putting together a small wood house.
Genesee Career Institute students work as a team to build a home that will be placed within Sacred Heart Village. GCI offers a Construction Course that teaches skills and experience in the construction industry for high school students living within Genesee County. Photo: Jenifer Veloso

To increase stability and create an even stronger sense of community, each veteran will move in as part of a cohort of two to four individuals. The hope is that the village won’t be just a place to live, but a support system that will help the veterans heal and grow, Baxter said.

“With Sacred Heart Village, we’re not just providing housing. We’re creating a model for community support and engagement that can be replicated nationwide,” she said. “This grant enables us to take a significant step towards reducing veteran homelessness in our community and establishing a sustainable model for future programming.”

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