We Need You!!

This will finally be your chance to make your voice heard. Public opinion is one of the the most important things the Planning Commission will consider that evening.

They will also be evaluating if the public need for senior affordable housing is critical enough to warrant a rezoning. Although we know many speakers will talk about the need to support veterans, it will also be very important to have speakers that speak on:

• The severe lack of rentals for our seniors and/or the lack of rentals in general.
• The extreme unaffordability of rentals in our area, specific examples helpful.
• Personal stories of inability to find or afford housing.
• The importance and need for some of our seniors to live in a community with built-in supports such as transportation, nutrition, and companionship.
• How this project helps meet the housing goals of the Warrenton 2040 Plan.

Each speaker has three minutes, approximately 420 words. You don’t need to be a Town resident to speak and you don’t need to sign up in advance. If you can’t attend, you can also submit a written expression of support here.You can read past coverage of our project and the housing crisis in our area here:

• Errant voicemail raises questions on whether Hero’s Bridge plan can get a fair hearing
• Planning Commission debates zoning for Hero’s Bridge Village
• Emerging solutions: What it takes to build affordable housing
• The fierce debate over Hero’s Bridge plans to build tiny homes for elderly vets

Meet a Veteran Waiting for the Village

He needed assistance with moving due to financial constraints, as his apartment in Northern Virginia had become too expensive. He found a smaller, more affordable option in Front Royal. Hero’s Bridge organized a team of 30 volunteers, including Navy and Army cadets, to help him downsize and move.

After assisting him with his move, Hero’s Bridge continued to support Clifford through regular visits, assistance with appointments, and check-ins, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 20, 2021, the organization honored him with a shadowbox on the anniversary of the day he landed in Vietnam, 54 years later.

Clifford now lives on a limited income of $1,470 per month from Social Security and VA assistance. He is facing another challenge as the small apartment he lives in has been sold to new owners who plan to convert the property into a Bed and Breakfast. He will need to move once this process is complete, and it’s likely that any new accommodations will be more expensive than the $800 per month he currently pays.

The Need for the Village

While some veterans do well, many others experience chronic illnesses from Agent Orange and other wartime exposures. The loss of a spouse, retirement, or illness often sends these heroes in a downward spiral and the military culture they know keeps them from asking for help. Every day we receive calls from hospitals, emergency rooms, social services, churches, and other organizations asking us to help with an older veteran they have come across. We can assist many of them in their own homes, but some situations are just too severe to help them where they are. They need a Village.

A safe, clean home is a basic necessity, essential to a human’s well-being and we have a responsibility to ensure every senior veteran has safe and supportive housing. For our older heroes, trying to sustain big unwieldy houses can be what tips the scales from independence to dependence

Hero’s Bridge Village will be first of its kind community dedicated exclusively to aging veterans to lift our aging veterans out of substandard living conditions and social isolation.

The Hero’s Bridge Village will radically change the lives of these veterans as well as the culture of our community. Our pocket community will prioritize socialization and wellness, not profit. It will be a place of peace and healing, not maximum square footage. Our veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam have already given so much, the least we can do for them is provide affordable and supportive housing.

What you can do now

• Sign the Change.org petition: Urge the Warrenton Town Council to Approve Affordable Housing for Veterans
• Donate to the Hero’s Bridge Village

Read our Village FAQs