Apartments for homeless veterans coming to site of former North Charleston hotel

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The City of North Charleston is teaming up with a national nonprofit to turn a former hotel into a permanent housing facility for homeless veterans.

Tunnel to Towers purchased the former Comfort Suites hotel at 2450 Prospect Drive with plans to convert the property into a Veterans Village. Officials broke ground on the site during a Wednesday morning ceremony.

The facility is expected to have enough apartments to house 98 veterans and feature on-site support services.

“Whether it be legal advocacy, employment opportunities, mental health support, what have you,” said Gavin Naples, the vice president of Tunnel to Towers’ Homeless Veteran Program.

North Charleston Mayor Reggie Burgess told those gathered Wednesday that veterans deserve help as he reflected on members of his own family who have served in the military.

“I think about my grandfather, Thomas Waring, who served in World War II. I think about my father, Willie James Jamison, who served in Vietnam, and I think about my younger brother, Michael Burgess, who spent 23 years as a Marine,” the mayor said.

“When I see our veterans sleeping under bridges, when I see our veterans standing outside in the cold and all type of elements and sleeping by a sidewalk or by a bus stop, that’s not right, people,” Burgess added. “We’ve got to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”

Bill and Sue Pollard of Summerville said they look forward to working at the Veterans Village in honor of their son Justin, who died while serving in Iraq 21 years ago. Justin enlisted in the military the day after September 11, they said.

Tunnels to Towers Foundation says they are dedicated to supporting America’s First Responders, Gold Star families, and Injured Military Veterans, and has committed to eradicating veteran homelessness nationwide.

Officials said they hope to have the facility open within 10 to 12 months.