Dignity's Alcove, not yet a year old and the Stockton area's first transitional home for homeless veterans, will receive a $377,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The money is designated for building renovations, a new van and the addition of 20 new beds at the Ash Street facility.

"This is great news," Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said in a written statement. "We have an obligation to all the men and women who served in our military. I'm pleased that Dignity's Alcove will be able to better serve local veterans who need assistance and
help them return to productive lives."

McNerney's office announced the grant this week.

Dignity's Alcove provides transitional housing for veterans, money management assistance, drug and alcohol counseling, and classes.

Operated by Vietnam veteran Harold Butts and his wife, Mary Mims-Butts, the facility, which helps veterans get back on their feet, opened in November.

 

Homeless vets' facility earns grant

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By The Record
September 26, 2008 6:00 AM

Veterans nonprofit poised to expand

 

By Zachary K. Johnson

Record Staff Writer

July 25, 2009 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - A local nonprofit group is back on track after getting a second chance to use a $377,000 grant to provide transitional housing for homeless veterans.

Dignity's Alcove had solid plans with a landlord for the fledgling nonprofit to expand with help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but the plans were derailed in 2008 when the property owner went into foreclosure.

Now the nonprofit organiza-tion has new plans with a different property owner and is poised to open up a facility in downtown Stockton in the Yale Apartments building.

The three-story site has room for up to 46 beds, a commercial kitchen, accommodations for veterans with disabilities and other amenities.

It was both tough and expensive when the original plans fell through, but this will be even better, said the founders of Dignity's Alcove. "This was our original dream," said Mary Mims-Butts, who, along with her husband, Harold Butts, founded the transitional housing organization.

The couple said it wasn't easy to find a landlord willing to fulfill the VA grant requirements, but Christopher "Kit" Bennitt was willing to modify the building to suit the needs of the program. The Stockton Planning Commission approved the use permit for the new plan Thursday.

"We're going forward now. Full blast," Harold Butts said.

Homelessness is a problem among veterans, and Dignity's Alcove can help bridge the gap between living on the streets and becoming self-sufficient, Harold Butts said.

At the new facility, veterans would get more than just a roof over their heads. They would be in a two-year program with access to on-site counseling for both substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The new building also has spot for street-level retail, that could one day allow veterans in the program to work in a deli or a thrift store operated by the nonprofit group.

Supporters for the new facility include Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and the Downtown Stockton Alliance.

The facility will help veterans and the program is designed to have supervision, said Downtown Alliance Executive Director Dennis Smallie. "The program shows it will have strict guidelines."

When Dignity's Alcove began operating in 2007, the residential treatment program for homeless veterans was the first of its kind in Stockton.

There is a tremendous need for transitional housing for homeless veterans, said Dr. Ian Tang, a VA health-resource director. "It's very difficult to provide medical care for someone who doesn't have a home," he said.

In a stable setting, a veteran can get more medical care and have access to more preventive care, too, Tang said.

"In a shelter setting, it's hard even to get started."

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.

 

July 25, 2009

STOCKTON - A local nonprofit group is back on track after getting a second chance to use a $377,000 grant to provide transitional housing for homeless veterans.

Dignity's Alcove had solid plans with a landlord for the fledgling nonprofit to expand with help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but the plans were derailed in 2008 when the property owner went into foreclosure.

Now the nonprofit organiza-tion has new plans with a different property owner and is poised to open up a facility in downtown Stockton in the Yale Apartments building.

The three-story site has room for up to 46 beds, a commercial kitchen, accommodations for veterans with disabilities and other amenities.

It was both tough and expensive when the original plans fell through, but this will be even better, said the founders of Dignity's Alcove. "This was our original dream," said Mary Mims-Butts, who, along with her husband, Harold Butts, founded the transitional housing organization.

The couple said it wasn't easy to find a landlord willing to fulfill the VA grant requirements, but Christopher "Kit" Bennitt was willing to modify the building to suit the needs of the program. The Stockton Planning Commission approved the use permit for the new plan Thursday.

"We're going forward now. Full blast," Harold Butts said.

Homelessness is a problem among veterans, and Dignity's Alcove can help bridge the gap between living on the streets and becoming self-sufficient, Harold Butts said.

At the new facility, veterans would get more than just a roof over their heads. They would be in a two-year program with access to on-site counseling for both substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The new building also has spot for street-level retail, that could one day allow veterans in the program to work in a deli or a thrift store operated by the nonprofit group.

Supporters for the new facility include Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and the Downtown Stockton Alliance.

The facility will help veterans and the program is designed to have supervision, said Downtown Alliance Executive Director Dennis Smallie. "The program shows it will have strict guidelines."

When Dignity's Alcove began operating in 2007, the residential treatment program for homeless veterans was the first of its kind in Stockton.

There is a tremendous need for transitional housing for homeless veterans, said Dr. Ian Tang, a VA health-resource director. "It's very difficult to provide medical care for someone who doesn't have a home," he said.

In a stable setting, a veteran can get more medical care and have access to more preventive care, too, Tang said.

"In a shelter setting, it's hard even to get started."

reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.Quotation Source