Beaumont VFW makes plans to build tiny homes for homeless veterans with help from BCA

BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont VFW post is working on a new plan to help homeless veterans get off the street and back on their feet.

VFW Post 1806 Commander Marvin Cash says the post hopes to build a small tiny home community on its property along Park Street in Beaumont. The goal is to eventually have eight to 10 homes on site, giving the post the ability to help several veterans.

The idea came out of a recent meeting with attorney Brent Coon and is still in the very early stages, says Cash.

“We’re hoping within a year to have one or two and then continue building on to that,” Cash said. “Permitting processes, plumbing and all the other stuff that goes along with this entails, see how fast we can move it again.”

The tiny homes would be built on VFW property and could potentially include renovated 20-foot shipping containers. Cash says the post has room for a small community of homes and would work to connect veterans with housing, VA benefits, mental health resources and job opportunities.

Cash says the goal is not just to provide shelter, but to help veterans rebuild stability and eventually move into housing of their own.

“Employers could help get these guys where they can stand on their own two feet and then after a few months they could move into their own apartment,” Cash said.

The project is expected to be funded through donations. Brent Coon’s law firm is making VFW Post 1806 the new beneficiary of its annual veterans fundraiser at his golf course around Memorial Day.

The fundraiser includes a golf tournament, raffles and auctions. The goal is to raise money for the tiny home project and help build the first units for homeless veterans in Beaumont.

“It’s not necessarily about the tiny homes themselves,” Cash said. “It’s about veterans taking care of their veterans. We do it because we understand we’re all made from the same cloth.”

Cash served 10 years in the military as a combat engineer and is a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran. He says he now helps other veterans navigate VA claims, something he learned after waiting years to file his own.

“I personally help veterans navigate the red tape of filing the VA claims,” Cash said. “I will never charge to do that. Nobody should.”

He says the post already helps veterans and their families with a range of needs, from gas money and food to home repairs and support services.

The tiny home project would add housing to that mission.

“Our job is to provide for our brothers and sisters,” Cash said. “It’s also our job to help give them purpose.”

Cash says the public can support the project through donations and community partnerships. He hopes there may be visible progress within the next six months.