Vets Village Planned in Ben Lomond: Donations in November will be Matched up to $75,000

COMMUNITY NEWS Vets Village Planned in Ben Lomond

Donations in November will be Matched up to $75,000

Veterans are leading the charge to buy the former Jaye’s Timberlane Resort in Ben Lomond to provide permanent supportive housing for local veterans.

The Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building Board of Trustees (Vets Hall) teamed up with Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, which is providing low-interest financing in conjunction with Santa Cruz County Bank.

The offer was accepted; terms were not released and the sale has yet to close.

Jaye’s has been owned for years by Vimal and Amita Patel, and the property was listed for $3,995,000 in January, with a price drop in August to $3,499,000. The last sale price was $225,500 in 1994.

This “Veterans Village,” a first for Santa Cruz County, is designed to provide permanent affordable housing for veterans and their families, with on-site support services, amenities, outdoor recreation, and a supportive community of peers.

In 2019, a count of people who are homeless in Santa Cruz County found 2,167 individuals, 151 being veterans with 85 percent “unsheltered.”

The property on Highway 9 in Ben Lomond has a home with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and office and 10 cabins with their own kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms surrounded by redwood forest on nearly six acres.

The property is expected to be able to house 16 veterans and their families initially with the Vets Hall planning to develop a second phase to bring the total capacity to 40 veterans.

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County launched the Veterans Village Fund with a $75,000 matching grant.

All donations in November up to $75,000 will be matched by the Community Foundation in honor of veterans and their service. Donations can be made at: www. cfscc.org/vetsvillage

“Our veterans cannot afford to live in Santa Cruz and many struggle to get by on their current benefits. As we see more veterans come home from Afghanistan in need of support and community, the time is now to develop a solution for permanent supportive housing for our Santa Cruz County veterans,” said Chris Cottingham, executive director of the Vets Hall.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Cruz County Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz hosted a 24/7 emergency shelter for 16 months through their Community Aid Resource Effort program, funded in part by a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation.

Cottingham discovered 179 veterans currently in Santa Cruz County who are eligible for supportive housing funds; many of whom are in poor temporary living situations or homeless.

“This project is led by veterans for veterans,” said Cottingham. “And the village atmosphere will support community as well as self-sufficiency.”

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