You may have seen the headlines announcing Kansas City’s tiny homes village for homeless veterans. But you may not have realized that the visionary behind the headlines was a REALTOR® and KCRAR member.
Mark Solomon, an active REALTOR® with Keller Williams in Liberty, started the Veterans Community Project with Chris Stout and Kevin Jamison in the hopes of helping their fellow servicemen find the pride and self-reliance of having a place to call their own. Solomon, a Naval officer, knows how hard reintegrating into everyday society can be for combat vets.
“VCP started with an idea to provide transitional housing for veterans in tiny houses. We did this to allow vets to integrate back into socialized environments at their own pace. We will help them get stabilized and then transition them to programs that already exist. We also decided to be completely, privately funded. That way, we can help vets in the way we want to help,” Solomon said. “When I joined the Navy, I swore an oath to support and defend the constitution up to and including with my life, if necessary. Everyone who has ever served took that same oath. It is now incumbent on us to ensure that we serve those who were willing to give everything to defend their country. At Veterans Community Project (VCP), we will help all veterans, regardless of the circumstances or outcomes of their service.”
“VCP was founded by 4 combat veterans and we decided that we weren’t going to take no for an answer. We were going to do something about the problem ourselves and not wait for the system to catch up,” Solomon added.
Because of the incredible work Solomon has done through VPC, KCRAR has nominated him for NAR’s Good Neighbor Award.
Solomon’s accolades don’t end there, however. VCP has captured the notice of Billion Acts, a global philanthropy campaign devoted to recognizing extraordinary acts of peace, kindness and charity. The organization is led by a breathtaking lineup of Nobel Laureates, including such dignitaries as the Dalai lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Betty Williams. VCP has been nominated as a semi-finalist for the 2017 Best Community Act, beating out 8 million other entries for this position.
“It is very humbling to be a part of something that is having an effect on homeless veterans here in Kansas City and now, around the country. I encourage everyone to get out there and do something about issues they see around them. Don’t wait for someone else to solve the problem… just go out there and start working,” said Solomon. “We never imagined this would be as big as it is after two years, however, with the help of the community, we now realize that we are just getting started!”
