Six Victorian-era officers' quarters up in Prescott have gotten a new lease on life after being transformed into a new affordable housing community for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The single-family homes located on the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System campus once housed doctors and medical staff. Now, these 100-year-old homes have been transformed into apartments.
Sally Schwenn is the Arizona market president for Gorman and Company, the developer behind the project.
“So we were able to convert those six quarters buildings into 23 units of one and two bedroom units, which are absolutely fabulous,” Schwenn said.
The Post at Fort Whipple now provides more than 100 permanent homes for veterans who are seniors or experiencing homelessness.
Schwenn said they also tried to preserve as much of the buildings’ original character as possible.
“We even kept the old iron stoves in place,” she explains. “They don't work, but they're super cool and just make everything a lot more homey.”
Bryan Campbell is the executive director of U.S. Vets in Prescott. His organization partnered with Groman and Company to operate as the service provider at the site.
He said the average resident is about 58 years old. But some veterans are much older.
“Could you imagine being Vietnam-era, you serve your country, and then you find yourself in your 80s [or] 90s and you're experiencing homelessness? I mean that's just devastating.”
In addition to the 23 units, an additional 80-unit, one-bedroom apartment complex was built nearby.
This story was produced by KJZZ in Phoenix and published by KNAU as part of the Arizona Public Media Exchange.