The Bivouac – 2024 Vision and Implementation Plan
Mission for the Homefront
The mandate of the Bivouac is to End Veterans Homelessness in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by providing temporary assisted housing to veterans currently on the streets of our city. Statistics show that there are a minimum of 400 military veterans currently homeless on our streets for many reasons. In the majority of cases we have experienced, individuals living on the streets are not able to access the myriad resources available to them. It is the firm commitment of our organization to deliberately connect these Tulsa residents to available veterans’ support services and help them successfully transition into permanent housing in civilian life.
Mission for the Homefront:
Background:
Veterans, especially combat vets, are a unique demographic of people, who have faced life challenges that civilians in most cases know nothing about. They are disciplined, mission oriented, and in many cases, broken in ways that only other veterans understand. Research shows that there are 400 permanent housing units currently already available here in Tulsa, graciously provided by Housing solutions and mental health. (there are also 400 homeless veterans) but shelf life on placing a homeless vet directly into permanent housing is 30-60 days (Dr. Michael Horner, Director, https://coffeebunker.org/) It is the directive of The Bivouac to provide temporary housing with life skill counselling to help our wounded warriors successfully move forward into productive and secure lives.
AOMMinistries led a street outreach in 2021 that brought an interesting introduction into life of the homeless: A group of volunteers got together and began to donate food and visit a homeless ‘tent village’ off Riverside Ave weekly. As we performed this volunteer project weekly, we learned that in each homeless encampment, there are usually several veterans in the Community, it is these vets that we want to help. In speaking with surrounding residents on previous proposed sites, people seem very supportive to embracing this project in their community. At several potential sites, we visited resident’s door to door, and had petitions signed by those in support of our mission. In each location, the overwhelming consensus was positive and supportive, yet there have been a few loudly vocal opponents, deeply entrenched at City Council, that have effectively stopped any actual development.
The problem is that opponents will not hear the clear community benefit this project will create, some of which include:
1.Proven reduction in crime: What violent felon wants to set up shop, next to a community of combat veterans?
2. Increased property values – It has been the experience of Veterans Community Project in Kansas City, that surrounding residential property values increased in the surrounding area around the facility. This proposal is NOT a crash pad for drug addicts, but a necessary step for our homeless veterans to receive the life skill training and access to resources available from many veteran support groups in our community. It is literally, helping vets transition into civilian life through our ‘mission for the Homefront’ implementation program.
Needs:
10 acres of land with utilities, suitable to build 6000sf office space, and the first 20 tiny homes.
Funding: There are several potential funding sources that may be willing to fund initial construction costs, but we need funding to employ program and facility staff and pay overhead and expenses.
Awareness: If you or your community group are patriots interested in supporting veterans, Please schedule Chris to speak at one of your events.
Thank you for your time and interest in supporting this project.
Sincerely,
Chris Walsh
President AOMMInistries.
Servant leader at ‘The Bivouac’.
