A village of tiny houses was built to provide homeless veterans with a fresh start

How new Alta. housing village helps homeless veterans get back on their feet Not only will vets be given a place to live, but they will be assisted in getting employment and more.

TORONTO -- A Canadian organization is looking to help homeless veterans by building communities of tiny homes where they can get the help they need.

The Homes for Heroes Foundation is planning to open up new communities for veterans across Canada, starting with a village that has just been completed in Calgary.

Adapting to civilian life can be hard for veterans, particularly those who served on overseas missions. Many return from service with physical and psychological scars, which can make finding jobs and housing difficult.

There are roughly 3,500 Canadian veterans who are currently experiencing homelessness, and more who are barely getting by.

The new Calgary village is made of 15 tiny houses arranged in a U-shape around an open green space. The village also contains a resource centre, a counsellor’s office, and a suite specifically for visiting family members.

Having different resources included in the community allows residents to "get an understanding of what support they need,” according to Homes for Heroes co-founder David Howard.

“Whether that be post-traumatic stress, whether we are dealing with addiction, career re-training, education and so forth," he said.

The tiny homes are each under 300 square feet, and include the basics of an apartment: a kitchen, a bathroom and a place to sleep. They may be small, but they’re designed to look modern and feel more spacious than they are, with murphy beds that fold up into the wall and relatively large front decks.

They also come with essentials such as cooking utensils, cleaning products and linens, so they can truly serve as a fresh start.

Former Cpl. Matthew Blencowe may have landed on his feet when he retired after more than seven years of service, but he told CTV News Calgary that he understands the struggle.

"Things start sliding, one thing adds to another and things start spiraling for guys and before you know it, you don't know where to turn,” said Blencowe, who served in the Canadian Forces.

Brig.-Gen. Steven Lacroix told CTV News Calgary that communities like this go “a long way to give (homeless veterans) some dignity back, put them in a community that they would understand.”

The units were designed and constructed by ATCO -- a contribution of $1.5 million. The Calgary village is set to officially open on Nov. 1, when tenants will start to move in.

The tenants were chosen by The Mustard Seed, a social agency partnering with Homes for Heroes within Alberta to assess the needs of veterans experiencing homelessness. Homes for Heroes is currently developing an Edmonton village, and hopes to expand to B.C., Manitoba, Ontario and the Maritimes.

Tiny homes have been looked at as a potential way to combat homelessness in numerous cities in Canada, such as Toronto and Guelph. But Homes for Heroes is the first initiative to use tiny houses specifically to address veteran homelessness.

A fact that was not forgotten by the designers: in Calgary’s village, there is a plaque dedicated to a different fallen soldier outside every home.

"I think it gives guys hope,” said Blencowe. “It gives guys a sense of community. It gives them a sense of belonging again."

With a report from CTV News Calgary’s Bill Macfarlane