Longmont veterans nonprofit gets boost from national spending bill

Dec. 24—The Veterans Community Project of Longmont is set to receive thousands of dollars in funding through the congressional omnibus spending package for 2023 backed by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado's 2nd Congressional District.

VCP Longmont will get $650,000 through the appropriations bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate this week. The nonprofit applied through the Community Project Funding program enacted by House Democrats and has been working with Neguse throughout the year.

Currently being built in Longmont, the project is a transitional housing community with 26 tiny homes for unhoused veterans to live in as they work toward permanent housing. Neguse said he was impressed by the efficacy of the tiny home model and wanted to support its goal of helping veterans.

"We know on any given night in Colorado, there are upwards of a thousand veterans who are homeless," he said. "When you think about nights like the last 48 hours, with sub-zero freezing temperatures ... the least we can do is make investments in the VCP model."

Jennifer Seybold, VCP Longmont executive director, said the funding will be a big help in covering increased construction costs for the village that arose this year. Four tiny homes have been framed and the finishing touches are being put on the community center. Veterans will be able to move in sometime next year, Seybold said.

"Our village is really starting to look like a village," she said. "Just getting to this place for VCP has been a really big feat and has taken a lot of community collaboration.

Neguse said he hopes the success of this VCP Longmont could lead to similar programs being emulated in other parts of his district, which covers north central Colorado.

"There's more that we can do and more that I think we should do to fund these types of projects," he said. "My hope is that this could be the beginning and not the end."