Terell Brown is passionate about ending veteran homelessness.
The Marine veteran and real estate developer is part of Freedom's Path. It's an Atlanta, Ga.-based group that develops affordable housing for disabled and homeless vets on Department of Veterans Affairs medical campuses using low-income housing tax credits.
“The land we use for these developments comes from the VA through a competitive bid process,” he explained.
Brown said his team has been awarded two historic buildings plus property at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center om Dublin.
“We are proposing to redevelop the buildings plus add another building,” he said. “That will generate 50 more affordable housing units for veterans in Georgia.”
The project has two components, according to Brown. One involves the re-use and renovation of the existing buildings to generate 22 studio and 22 one-bedroom units. Leasing preference would be given to veterans who are homeless, about to become homeless or disabled.
In addition, Freedom’s Path is hoping to build a new six-unit building on the Dublin property. Each of these units is slated to have two bedrooms and are designed to house small households, which could include women veterans or two-parent households with a child.
Brown said a 2018 survey found that on any given night more than 700 veterans are homeless in Georgia.
“This is an epidemic,” he said. “We are committed to reducing that number to zero.”
The project will be financed using federal and state historic tax credits, along with low-income housing tax credits. Brown said Freedom’s Path is working to obtain funding for the project from Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs.
“While the work that we are doing for veterans is unprecedented, there is just simply not enough awareness for the cause,” he said.
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