Groundbreaking ceremony for homeless veteran housing unit

There was a groundbreaking ceremony over the weekend for a $34.9 million development of 196 affordable housing units targeting homeless veterans in Inglewood, Calif. named Westside Residence Hall II. The new addition will include 48 single residence occupancies, which share a common living and dining area and 148 studio apartments.

According to the press release, the project is being developed by Cloudbreak Inglewood, LLC, one of the Cantwell-Anderson, Inc. family of companies focused on special needs housing development. Cloudbreak provides a safe and stable living environment for veterans while linking them to supportive services provided by the nonprofit US VETS, the Veterans Administration, and other nonprofit and governmental agencies.

"This is one of the first programs in California to be funded by tax exchange credit dollars," says Tim Cantwell, manager, Cloudbreak Inglewood, LLC and president of Westside Residence Hall, Inc. in the press release. "We expect construction to generate 300 jobs over an approximate 18 months."

US Senator Barbara Boxer and US Congresswoman Maxine Waters was in attendance at the ceremony, along with veterans, government officials, business leaders and supporters. More than 8,000 veterans have been served with room and board services, with the assistance from US Vets, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and Inglewood Adult School.

The ground floor of the new building provides job training, rehabilitation, counseling and educational services. A parking structure and a landscaped terrace for recreational use are also included in the project. The original Westside Residence Hall was built in 1993.

Cloudbreak Developments for homeless veterans and families have exceeded $113 million and 2,592 beds have been servicing 10 sites across the country.

Photo courtesy of GWImages