Ryan Brings Rumshock Foundation $1.4 Million for Homeless Veteran Venture
Congressman Pat Ryan hosted a luncheon that drew local and state officials and many veterans for the presentation of a big check.
By David Ofshinsky
Rumshock Veterans Foundation received a financial boost for its Victory Village program for homeless veterans on March 24. Congressman Patrick Ryan presented Rumshock founder William Whetsel with a $1 million check from federal funding during a ceremony at VFW Post 161 in Port Jervis. Along with a $400,000 state grant, the funds will help support the community of tiny affordable homes for veterans in Port Jervis. The program will involve participants in hydroponic farming and e-waste recycling on site and offer transportation and canine companions.
“Bill’s been on a hunt for a site for five years,” said Ryan of U.S. Air Force veteran William Whetsel, who founded the nonprofit Rumshock Veterans Foundation in 2019, to actualize these plans. Whetsel thanked Ryan and Port Jervis Councilman Stan Siegel, a Viet Nam era veteran.
“Stan brought me here and showed me this spot,” Whetsel said of the .75 acre property on East Main St. where Victory Village will be built.
The program offers veterans opportunities to improve their physical and mental health and reconnect with the community through meaningful activities. Ryan, a West Point graduate twice deployed in Iraq, spoke of his own encounters with veteran hardships, including those of a soldier who served under him and later died by suicide.
“We need to do everything we can for our veterans. Having a home is the missing piece,” said Ryan. “In 2023, 35,574 veterans in the U.S. were homeless, 7.4% more than in 2022.”
The Veterans Administration attributes the homeless increase to rising housing costs. Victory Village is planned to be a tiny house community on .75 acres that will include ten dwellings with private backyards. Hydroponic vegetables, an on-site farmers market and skills program are some of the amenities that are planned. The homes will include energy-saving features including solar power and water reclamation.
BOCES students will build the tiny houses, which will likely be on the property by fall, Whetsel said. Three veterans from Port Jervis will be among the occupants, said Siegel.
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