Knoxville opens supportive housing for veterans

Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), along with business and community leaders and residents, officially opened Liberty Place, a 32-unit permanent supportive housing development for veterans. The residential development, which is located at 3627 Division St. in West Knoxville, is KCDC’s first housing site specifically for veterans and provides one-bedroom units to veterans who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. The fully furnished units, which include 16 fully accessible ADA units, provide utilities and conveniences such as walk-in showers and on-site maintenance. Liberty Place residents are participants in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher program, a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to move veterans out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The VA also will have offices onsite to offer case management services to residents that include coordination of medical services and community resources. The combination of intensive case management and long-term housing assistance will provide resources to allow the veterans to thrive in all aspects of their lives. KCDC partnered with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to include solar panels and higher efficiency equipment including heat pump water heaters, which are a first for the organization’s housing developments. All equipment and solar panels will be monitored on an ongoing basis to track performance and efficiency data.