A ministry started by a parishioner of St. David of Wales in Denton aims to provide tiny houses to homeless veterans. The project is the brainchild of Lee Stafki, who is currently working with the diocesan Commission on Ministry to discern a call to holy orders.

“I had discerned a need for this ministry during my course work in the History, Role, and Meaning of the Diaconate class at the Stanton Center, which required the students to establish a diaconal ministry,” Stafki said. “Following the direction of the commission and the Rev. Canon Jeremy Bergstrom who is the Canon of Vocations, I began to organize and develop this ministry. Since then, a small group of Parishioners were organized to help explore and develop the concept and scope.”

The ministry which has been named, Crossroads of Hope Veteran Community, aims to build a geographically centralized community in the Denton area not only to provide a place for the veteran to live but also bring together support services necessary for the Veteran to heal and recover from mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual injuries that likely caused their homelessness. Additionally, they will be provided with the opportunity for vocational rehabilitation and job placement services that will assist them in starting a new career, building a new life, and once again becoming contributing members of their community. “My hope is that through this ministry we can establish a community that is centered on God and serving Christ in others thereby allowing it to develop into koinonia.  I do realize, however, that legally it must also be a non-faith based 501.3 (c) Non-profit, in order to qualify for government support and funding.”

On that score, Crossroads of Hope is looking for volunteers who have experience in establishing 501.3(c) non-Profits, and those who have experience in writing state and federal grant requests to help get housing plans moving forward. 

Our plan is to build 70-100 tiny homes organized around a large support building that will house services to assist the Veterans. “We currently have two companies that build tiny homes and have volunteered to provide these homes at no cost,” Stafki said. The Department of Veteran Affairs has committed to placing professionals onsite to provide medical, psychological, and vocational rehab services to qualified veterans. More than a dozen local, national, and international non-profit organizations have shown strong interest in placing people onsite to assist those Veterans who may or may not qualify for VA assistance. The Texas Veterans Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission have also committed to supporting Crossroads of Hope with job related services.  

The need is great. At any point in time, there are approximately 60 homeless Veterans living in the Denton area, Stafki said. While there are a number of resources to assist these Veterans with basic necessities such as food, shelter, and medical care, these services are spread across Denton and Tarrant Counties and not easily accessible or always available.

“This ministry’s goals are to help a community of people who sacrificed themselves to protect our freedom,” Stafki said. “Please join us in this meaningful effort.”