New village for veterans struggling with homelessness coming to NLV

Some days, John Crankshaw has to isolate himself from the world.

While serving in Afghanistan in 2010, he described himself as being “blown up” by a suicide bomber. Ever since, post traumatic stress disorder has made day-to-day life difficult. Accessing services and disability has not been easy either.

It was not until he moved into a studio apartment at the Tunnel to Towers Veteran Village in Houston, Texas, that he was not only able to access services, but more importantly, he told the Review-Journal, the process felt dignified.

With a new facility proposed to be built in North Las Vegas in 2026, Southern Nevada veterans soon may be able to feel the same way.

In addition to 112 individual units, the village will offer on-site services, including job training, assistance accessing benefits and mental and physical health services.

The village aims to assist the 2,400 veterans experiencing homelessness in Southern Nevada, making the region second in the nation in homeless veterans, according to Tunnel to Towers.

Meet them where they are

“We meet each of them exactly where we are, remove the barriers that are in front of them, get to the root of the problem, what’s causing the homelessness? What’s causing them to be unhoused? You know, is this a chronic or is this something that you know could be easily rectified with a simple hand up?” Kim De Lorenzo, a community relations professional for the program, told the Review-Journal.

Veterans will pay whichever is less: 30 percent of their income or the affordable housing designation of the area, according to Gavin Naples, vice president of Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The organization was founded to honor the memory of firefighter Stephen Siller, who died while responding to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

The foundation has been offering support services for homeless veterans since 2023.

Over the years, Naples said, many veterans have expressed having trouble accessing the VA Medical Center because of its location. The North Las Vegas location will sit just down the street from the VA Medical Center. He is hopeful the city will approve construction of the village.

The city of North Las Vegas is reviewing the applications, which requests an amendment to the city’s master plan and a zone change for land currently designated for commercial use, according to a spokesperson. The city noted that the city’s master plan was adopted in 2006 and amended in 2011 “after significant research, community outreach, and deliberation to set forth the vision of the City moving forward.”

A step away

City staffers are reviewing the applications, which are scheduled to go before the city Planning Commission on Oct. 9, according to a spokesperson.

“The focus of this review and recommendation, and any Planning Commission action, is on the particular land for the proposed development and is not a broader comment on the laudable aim of Tunnel to Towers. The city is highly supportive of veterans and efforts to assist them,” read the city’s statement.

“Anything that you really need help with is just a phone call away, or even just a step away, actually,” Rasheed Walthall, another resident at the Houston location, told the Review-Journal.

Walthall was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease related to his service in the Navy, and has since struggled to continue working in the same way. Through living at the veteran village, he said he was able to get back on track, both financially and through the support services. Now, he is moving into his own apartment — though, he noted, it’s close enough that he can scream to the village if need be.

‘We lean on each other’

De Lorenzo noted that there is no rush for how long people live there. Naples also added that because it is not a government program, they do not have to have income limitations in the same way.

Crankshaw is known at the village for the brothership and mentorship he provides, according to De Lorenzo.

“We lean on each other,” he told the Review-Journal, stating that he could not emphasize enough how valuable it is to live in a community with other veterans.

He said that while so many other programs have a “one-size-fits-all mentality,” this one has a multitude of options and stands out for its quality of care.

“I will advocate for this program until the day I die,” Crankshaw said.

After he experienced what he called a breakdown last year, he was out of work for awhile. The individual and group therapy sessions at the village have helped him get back on track. He also made a contact with Operation BBQ Relief, which partnered with the village. He hopes to soon start his own meat cutting business.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.