TAPPAN, NY – This morning Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick visited Homes for Heroes to announce a $60,000 grant that will support programming for the veterans who live at the site. The Senator and his team are proud to work closely with former County Legislator John Murphy, the president of Homes for Heroes, to secure funding for this important project.
Senator Reichlin-Melnick said, “We have a homeless veteran crisis in this country and as a member of the Senate’s Veterans Committee I’m committed to delivering state assistance to organizations like Homes For Heroes that are addressing this issue. John Murphy and this organization have stepped up to address that crisis in Rockland and I’m proud to have secured money for this vital work to support our veterans with the resources they need to live with dignity.”
Former County Legislator and President of Homes for Heroes John Murphy, said, “We are gathered here because the Senator has been generous and kind enough to get us a grant that will enable us to put a bathroom in this building which will provide the opportunity for the veterans who live here to gather together for classes and information sharing. We don’t have another building on the property which would permit that, so this is a very very important improvement. And it will make a big difference in the lives of the 22 formerly homeless veterans who will be living on this property.”
Homes for Heroes’ mission is to eliminate veteran homelessness in our region. The property is a repurposing of a property that was part of Camp Shanks which once served as the world’s largest WWII Port of Embarkation, known as “Last Stop USA.” The multi-purpose building which is becoming the programming space for the Homes for Heroes residents, was originally used by the Army for the Cold War NIKE Missile Program.