Wheaton officials voice support for downtown apartments for veterans, their families

Veterans of different eras and branches are their own band of brothers as leaders of a Wheaton-based nonprofit organization.

Their mission? To help those who “protected our homes to have a home,” said Rizik Mohammad, the deputy executive director of the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans.

To that end, Midwest Shelter plans to grow with a four-story apartment building in downtown Wheaton for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, as well as their families. Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess said Monday he’s “very much in favor” of the project.

“It's bringing housing to the downtown. It's addressing a need in our community with respect to veterans. The city's had a long-standing relationship with Midwest Shelter,” Suess said. “And this is a new building.”

City council members have directed the city’s attorney to prepare an ordinance allowing the construction and use of the 20-unit apartment building on a vacant corner by the Wheaton Meat Co. butcher shop.

“It’s been a vacant lot for quite some time, so we want to be able to put something on there that the city could be very proud of, and that will really let our veterans integrate into the community,” said Mohammad, who served in the Marines.

The nonprofit’s flagship home, named in honor of Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Larson, a Wheaton teen killed in Iraq, provides transitional housing for male veterans. It’s a place where “people can grow and get past their trauma,” Mohammad said.

Since its 2007 opening, two other Wheaton homes have provided affordable housing for single male and female veterans, respectively.

The “Hero Homes,” by comparison, are “so important because families get to stay together,” said Bob “Doc” Adams, a Vietnam veteran and the Midwest Shelter’s co-founder. Of the planned 20 units of permanent supportive housing, five are two-bedroom apartments.

“It's about dignity, stability and giving back to the men and women who gave so much for all of us,” said Army vet Peter Stavroplos, a board member.

Last year, the Illinois Housing Development Authority announced a grant award for the project. The IHDA board awarded $10.1 million in state and federal funding — 90% of the total development cost. New Directions Housing Corp. is the nonprofit developer.

“We all hear about housing, and this is a very viable project in which to address housing,” Suess said.

Councilwoman Lynn Robbins, though, said she’ll be voting “no.” She said she is “not encouraged by the prospect of increased congestion in the area, especially given that the proposed development is just one block from The Faywell apartments,” a seven-story luxury complex that’s under construction.

Councilman Scott Weller, however, noted the 20-unit building is “a smaller density than some of the other projects.”

Through Midwest Shelter, veterans can access a support system: mental health services, case managers and job assistance programs. In the Freedom Commissary in its administrative building, vets can receive clothing and household items.