Chesapeake Health Education Program
Charleston, SC - Transitional Residence
In 1998, CHEP established a transitional housing program at the former Naval Base in Charleston, South Carolina. The program is unique since it utilizes a portion of a deactivated military installation as a resource for homeless veterans. Once CHEP signed a contract with the South Carolina Redevelopment Authority for the lease of the buildings, the houses were renovated, fully furnished and then opened to veterans referred by the VA medical center. The houses consist of 4 duplex former officers’ units which provided 40 beds per day as an innovative model for a “veterans only” housing program. The result is now a community known as Veterans Villas.
The CHEP program at Charleston works with the local VA Medical Center to provide housing for patients with few financial resources and no place to live. Most are known to have substance abuse problems which make the likelihood of finding a clean living environment almost impossible. The establishment of Veterans Villas on the naval base gave hope to the entire local area.
What once was a totally inactive and economically depressed area due to the military’s deactivation plan, has now been revitalized and demonstrates clear signs of community productivity. The environment is attractive, safe, and a modest distance from the known problems associated with urban living. The residents are a testament to the success of a self-governing environment and contribute back to the community by becoming active members of the Charleston work force, assisting in the annual Stand Downs, and volunteering their services at other local businesses. The essential ingredient for success is for a non-profit corporation to take the lead in a partnership with the state government and accept responsibility for leasing space on a deactivated military base. This program has been a center of activity for the veterans and has re-introduced many of them to the world of work as well as helped in their reintegration into the Charleston community. The model can be easily adapted to any area in the country where underused military buildings are available.