Tunnel to Towers Welcomes Over 100 Veterans to New Home at Veteran Village
On November 9, a big step towards the eradication of veteran homelessness nationwide took place in the Tomball area. Just in time for Veterans Day, over 100 veterans were welcomed to their new residence at the Tunnel to Towers Veteran Village after battling homelessness.
Ribbon cutting for the Tunnel to Towers Veteran Village on November 9, 2023. Located on Highway 249 near FM 1960, this innovative housing development was once a 161-room hotel that has been transformed by Tunnel to Towers into a safe haven of hope and healing for homeless veterans. On mission to end homelessness among the veteran population, nonprofit Tunnel to Towers Foundation is focused on providing housing and restoring the dignity of homeless veterans across the nation.
A comfortably appointed bedroom at the Tunnel to Towers Veteran Village. Breathing new life and purpose into the property, the Tunnels to Towers Veteran Village features a blend of move-in ready transitional housing with fully furnished studio apartments and stand-alone comfort homes, which serve as permanent housing for senior citizen veterans. Phase II of development will include as many as 20 comfort homes, with completion slated for 2024.
U.S. Army Veteran Dr. Macheo Boulding Delagraentiss (E-2, Medic) at right, proudly welcoming MLB legend Andy Pettitte into his new home with award-winning actor Dennis Quaid in the background at the unveiling celebration on November 9, 2023. Quaid, a native Houstonian and avid supporter of Tunnel to Towers, emceed the event.With several common areas across the first floor, veterans will receive in-house comprehensive support services including counseling and career development provided by U.S. VETS, a nonprofit organization founded by veterans to help fellow veterans who are struggling with homelessness.
“It is our responsibility as Americans to give back to those who have given so much to us,” said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, whose connection to the Foundation’s cause is deeply personal.
Born from tragedy, Tunnels to Towers was founded in honor of Frank Siller’s brother, Stephen Siller, a firefighter with Brooklyn’s Squad 1 who bravely gave up his life on September 11, 2001 to help victims in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Following his passing, Frank Siller and his family set out to carry on his legacy of selfless service with the formation of Tunnel to Towers.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 34,000 homeless veterans in America, but Tunnel to Towers estimates that number to be much larger. In 2023, Tunnel to Towers provided housing assistance and support services to over 3,000 and plans to bring the Veteran Village model to cities across America, with planning and development currently underway for nearly a dozen sites.
Along with support for homeless veterans, Tunnel to Towers offers several other programs to help veterans, including mortgage free homes for catastrophically injured service members and first responders, as well as Gold Star families. In Texas alone, Tunnel to Towers has delivered 84 mortgage free homes to Gold Star families, fallen first responder families and catastrophically injured service members.
Tunnel to Towers leadership, board members and supporters at the unveiling celebration on November 9, 2023.Delivering an impassioned promise, Siller pledged that “these programs will exist within the Tunnel to Towers Foundation forever.”
“We know there is more goodness in this world than evil. When we come together as Americans, we can be the conduits of this goodness. But we can only do it together. We cannot undo the past, but we can make a promise to be sure that their future is bright,” said Siller.
To learn more about Tunnel to Towers, visit www.t2t.org.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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