Groundbreaking for Veterans Manor

A project that will allow low-income veterans to live independently while getting access to a wide range of services is officially underway.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Thomas H. Wynn Memorial Apartments: Veterans Ma-nor at 35th and Wisconsin Avenue.

The 52-unit apartment building will have one-bedroom homes for veterans served by the Center for Veterans Issues (CVI).

The facility will also feature a commercial kitchen that will be used to provide meals for the residents and MPS students as well as offer training opportunities for the veterans in the restaurant and hospitality food service industries.

Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman who represents the area of 35th and Wisconsin notes that the property has been vacant for many years and that the housing development by the Center for Veterans Issues will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

CVI is currently located nearby on Wells Street.  General Robert Cocroft of CVI predicted the new facility would help serve many veterans who have fallen on hard times.

Antonio Riley of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) also praised the project and noted it will be a key part of revitalizing Wisconsin Avenue by offering high quality housing and wrap-around services to veterans.

He echoed many other speakers in saying that veterans had stepped up to serve their country and that now it was time for the country to step up and help them with projects like Veterans Manor.

The housing project is named to honor the memory of the late Thomas H. Wynn who worked for many years in service to and on behalf of veterans in the Milwaukee area.

It was funded by a wide range of sources including WHEDA, the City and County of Milwaukee, and a federal recovery grant administered by the Social Development Commission. The Veterans Manor development is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2011.