The following article appeared on FOX 13 Tampa Bay on May, 2025:
It takes a village, and that’s exactly what’s behind the affordable housing project, Heroes’ Village, which is located in Sarasota’s Newtown area. The ribbon was cut Wednesday afternoon on the finished project.
The complex will soon house veterans and those who have sacrificed so much to serve our country.
“I believe strongly that we owe it to our veterans who have given, have incredible bravery and had sacrifice in serving our country, and they deserve a home where they can live with dignity,” said Phillip Lanham, the president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Back in 2020, two donors came to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation with a vision. They wanted to build a complex that would house veterans who were living on the streets or who faced homelessness while battling rising costs.
The City of Sarasota donated the land and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation partnered with St. Vincent de Paul CARES.
“I think we will learn a lot,” said Lanham. “This is the first permanent housing for veterans in Sarasota, and we will learn a lot and take those lessons and advance it moving forward.”
Big picture view:
Heroes’ Village is made up of 10 two-bedroom apartments. Applications are still open for housing, and residents will start to move in by mid-May to June.
“You don’t have to have any income as a veteran to get in here,” said Michael Raposa, the CEO of St. Vincent de Paul CARES. “We will work with you with no income, and we are building units like this around Florida, targeting those if not for our units would have no place to go.”
St. Vincent de Paul CARES will manage Heroes’ Village, and they’ll also offer wrap-around services, including health care and job opportunities, to those who live at the complex.
They hope to welcome back our heroes and help them with their future.
“I also think most folks in the community don’t realize the impacts and the commitment that military service requires and the drain that it has on the veterans themselves, especially those who served during wartime and saw some horrible things,” said Raposa.
What you can do:
To find out more about St. Vincent de Paul CARES or to apply for housing, visit www.svdpsp.org.
