Tiny home construction underway at multimillion-dollar Campbell County veterans center | Local News
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A crew member with Quarry View Building Group works on one of the tiny homes being built on the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on June 25.
A view of the tiny homes currently under construction at the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on June 25.
Crew members with Quarry View Building Group work on one of the tiny homes being built on the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
Paul Beiler, construction foreman, and retired Brig. Gen. Jeff Horne talk inside one of the tiny homes being built on the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
One of the several farm dogs at the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans greets visitors in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
A group of veteran volunteers help construct a storage building on the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
Retired Brig. Gen. Jeff Horne walks through the field that will one day be the home of the Wellness Center at the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
A group of volunteers from St. Thomas More Catholic Church put up a tent at the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
One of the horses housed at the equestrian center at the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista presses its nose up against the bars of its stall on Friday, June 25, 2021.
Retired Brig. Gen. Jeff Horne steps into help volunteers building a storage building on the site of the National Center for Healthy Veterans in Altavista on Friday, June 25, 2021.
ALTAVISTA — Along the ridge that tops a 339-acre property of rolling forests, farmland and pastures, a row of tiny homes is under construction, the first phase of a sprawling plan that hopes to see 100 homes built to house veterans during the coming months.
The National Center for Healthy Veterans, dubbed “Valor Farm” at its groundbreaking in November, is an ambitious multimillion-dollar project off Wards Road in Altavista.
Helmed by retired Army Maj. Gen. Bob Dees and retired Brig. Gen. Jeff Horne, its aim is to create a center that helps veterans transition back to civilian life, with technical and vocational training, and a three-pronged approach centered around faith, vocation and community living.
The more than $30 million project is spearheaded by the Stone Ridge Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Dees, who serves as director of the center and is president and CEO of the foundation.
The first village broke ground in February, and currently is under construction — with four tiny homes overlooking the sloping, verdant property, the foundations for the next four already completed, in what eventually will be a community of 20 single and family-sized tiny homes surrounding a village community center. The smaller model will be about 309 square feet, with the larger being 410.
Ultimately, five villages of 20 homes each are planned for the property, with a community center serving as the focal point for each village. At its peak, there would be approximately 150 veterans and support staff residents on the farm at any given time, according to the initial project proposal, with other veterans and first responders engaged in short duration stays to attend conferences, short courses and various types of therapy.
