Volunteers of America unveils new low-income Hillyard housing dedicated to veterans

Local leaders say a new apartment complex in the Hillyard Neighborhood will help a particularly vulnerable segment of the region’s homeless residents.

On Monday, Volunteers of America Eastern Washington unveiled a 12-unit housing development dedicated to low-income veterans – complete with support services needed for those struggling with life after service, said regional President Fawn Schott.

“That is really unique; it’s not just a front -door key,” Schott said. “It actually is the resources that they need, the behavioral health, substance use, all right here on -site, or connections to the community in clinical care.”

Nationally, more than 32,000 veterans were estimated to be experiencing homelessness last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The nonprofit advocacy group the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says the exact figure could be more than twice what federal data captures.

Locally, more than 100 veterans were experiencing some form of homelessness during the 2025 point-in-time count in January.

A variety of factors could be contributing to homelessness among former service members, like with any population, the nonprofit states. Housing costs have skyrocketed, while income has failed to keep pace, but veterans as a population also face unique challenges.

Homeless veterans are two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury or mental disorder than their domiciled counterparts, tend to be younger than 35 and likely enlisted at the lower end of the pay scale, meaning they likely had no secondary education, according to a 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

Located at 6208 N. Lacey St., Spokane’s newest veteran housing complex is intended to be a safe haven for residents to acclimate to civilian life comfortably, with camaraderie from peers and support from the community, Schott said.

“We already have transitional housing for vets, so a lot of our vets who will move in here have been with us for a while,” Schott said. “So they’ve stabilized in another program, and then now they’re ready for more independent living.”

The complex features 12 one-bedroom units spread across three buildings, and a small office building housing laundry and storage space for the tenants. The roughly $4.8 million project was funded through private partners and a mix of state and local government contributions, including $1.5 million from the city of Spokane.

Shortly before a ceremonious ribbon -cutting, Schott thanked her organization’s donors, as well as the contractors who built it with care, she said. ZB Architecture handled the design, while Kilgore Construction brought the plans into fruition.

“You’re just going to be absolutely in awe over the quality of workmanship and craftsmanship,” Schott said. “And it came from their heart. They led with heart on this project from the very beginning.”

Funding for the complex’s courtyard came from the Numerica Heroes Fund, a $1 million commitment to local veteran and military member resources born out of the partnership between Numerica and the Spokane Public Facilities District that led to the renaming of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to the Numerica Veterans Arena last year.

Spokane County Regional Veterans Services helps allocate the “Heroes” funding, and Cat Nichols, director of Spokane County Regional Veteran Services, said the housing project was a natural fit. The office building will, in part, provide meeting space for her veterans services officers to assist residents with their benefits, or in connecting with community resources.

“I imagine once it’s leased up, we’ll probably be out here at least once a month to provide services on site,” Nichols said.

Nichols said she was grateful to see the much-needed housing complex open Monday. It’s emblematic of what she’s come to love about Spokane as a veteran herself: the community comes out in force to support its active duty and former service members.

“I’ve moved 27 times, because my husband and I were military,” Nichols said. “To see a community that values service the way this community does is just amazing.”

“I’ve seen a lot of communities, but nothing quite like Spokane,” she added.