Bryant Bailey has been working on the construction of a veteran's community in rural Champaign County for more than three years.
He is CEO of the Support Our Veterans Corporation, a nonprofit he created to help pay for the project. It's taking shape in Woodstock, a town with fewer than 300 residents.
Bailey's plan is to line the property with 14 homes and offer them to unhoused veterans.
Though some might be tempted to call them “tiny homes,” the around 500-square-foot homes offer something big, Bailey said.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found 589 unhoused veterans in Ohio this year.
“A lot of them are living with relatives or they're in abandoned homes and on the side of the streets. If they know that they have somewhere to go, that's where the change starts,” Bailey said. “I 100% know it's going to work. That's why I put all my time effort in all this.”
Bailey purchased 14 acres of land over three years ago. And, since then, has added the beginnings of a seven bedroom, shared living space, pond, greenhouse and basketball/pickleball court.
Input from veterans helped to create those plans.
“They didn't want everybody spread out. [Its] more like a military compound where they're all together, where they can support each other,” Bailey said. “A lot of them can't relate to their caseworkers and open up like they will together, and help each other out.”
The project has been assisted by volunteers and those fulfilling community service sentences. And, its received material and monetary donations.
“We have everything. They wouldn't have to bring anything,” Bailey said. “They don't even have to bring knowledge, I show them how to do it.”
But, Bailey’s done much of the work himself.
A carpenter by trade, he graduated from Choffin Career & Technical Center in Youngstown. After that, he ran Bailey Home and Rental Management, as a rental property owner and construction worker.
“I made plenty. And I got to a point where I'm not feeling that I'm doing my calling,” Bailey said. “Once I got with the veterans and hearing their stories, I'm like, this is it. So I just started putting everything towards that.”
He’s been using his skills to offer free housing to veterans for more than eight years.
He’s converted nine of his own rental properties into no-cost veterans housing.
“It was a struggle because some of them just wanted to stay by themselves,” Bailey said. “But, they started seeing we're really trying to help them and we're not judging them, and now they are actually giving us more feedback than what we would ever think.”
The homes will offer everyday amenities like dishes and linens. And, the nonprofit has planned for group events, onsite and off.
But, Bailey said input from veterans will majorly dictate what life is like in the community. He hopes veterans will be there to stay.
“If it's just temporary, they're just going to keep jumping and moving,” Bailey said. “We just want them to stay here and be happy. Whatever makes them happy. That's what we're going to do.”