It takes a village: Veterans Community Project works to end veteran homelessness in Sioux Falls

This piece is sponsored by The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.

There were 32,882 homeless veterans reported in the U.S. in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That number includes 42 percent of veterans who were unsheltered, 30 percent living in an emergency shelter and 28 percent living in transitional housing with organizations such as the Veterans Community Project of Sioux Falls.

“We are a transitional housing program for at-risk or homeless veterans,” said Kaelyn Giefer, director of development. “The goal is to get them back up on their feet, give them wraparound services, help them in all areas of their life and then transition them back out into the community to permanent housing.”

The nonprofit organization, which consists of an eventual 25-unit tiny-home village and Village Center, broke ground in northwest Sioux Falls in 2022.

“Our long-term goal is that we end veteran homelessness in the Sioux Falls area,” Giefer said, “and even beyond.”

Achieving such a goal, you might say, takes a village.

But with the help of donors, volunteers and other local organizations, VCP is doing more than just providing a place to live — it is helping veterans rebuild their lives.

Meeting veterans where they’re at

“We serve veterans all over the Sioux Falls area with the residential program, where we’re actually moving them into our homes,” Giefer said. “We also have an outreach component, where we’re meeting veterans out in the community and helping them with different resources as well.”

VCP receives resident referrals from other shelters in town such as the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House and the Union Gospel Mission. It also works closely with and receives referrals from the local office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sometimes, VCP has what it calls self-referrals, where a veteran will walk through the doors and ask for help.

Regardless of how or why someone comes to the village, that veteran will receive services tailored to their unique situation.

“We’re able to take veterans at whatever stage of life they’re in and help all of them,” Giefer said. “Everybody comes with different trauma, different pasts and different challenges that they’re facing, and we’re able to work with each individual veteran to help figure out their best success plan.”

For Giefer, reuniting veterans with their families is one of the most rewarding aspects of what VCP does.

“We’ve got veterans that move in and have lost contact with their families, but as they begin to gain that stability, they’ve been able to reconnect with their families,” she said. “I’m a big family person, so that’s been really cool to be able to see the joy that brings people.”

Ending veteran homelessness in Sioux Falls

Eventually, VCP will have 25 tiny homes in its village.

Ten are already complete, with eight of them occupied. As for the other two, veterans have moved out of them, and VCP is getting the houses ready for new tenants.

Five houses are under construction but almost complete, while the final 10 have yet to be built.

According to Giefer, volunteers are key to building the houses and, ultimately, fulfilling the organization’s mission.

“We’re always in need of volunteers to come help with everything from construction of the tiny homes, to furnishing the homes, to admin duties, to helping with events,” she said.

Recently, a group of volunteers from The First National Bank in Sioux Falls spent an afternoon touching up paint on the five houses under construction.

Their work included painting trim and doors on the outside of the houses and also ceilings and doors on the inside.

“Anytime you have the opportunity to help veterans in the community, you have to do that,” said Scott Hirsch, deposit operations manager at First National Bank.

Hirsch is a veteran himself, having served 10 years in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

He was a member of the 1742nd Transportation Company and the 2nd, 361st Training Support Battalion in Sioux Falls.

“When you think about why we’re here and why they’re here, it goes a lot deeper than painting a house,” he said. “Taking four hours out of your afternoon to come and do something for our veterans is easy to do.”

In addition to volunteering, First National Bank has supported VCP by sponsoring one of the tiny homes and holding a donation drive to furnish a home.

“First National Bank was one of our very first partners that we had in the Sioux Falls community and stepped up to be a house sponsor before we even had any local staff,” Giefer said.

The VCP house sponsored by First National Bank, which is nearing completion.

Supporting the Veterans Community Project’s mission

Ending veteran homelessness in Sioux Falls can’t happen without support from the broader community.

For those who are passionate about the VCP’s mission, Giefer offers plenty of ways to get involved.

“If you’re ever looking to volunteer, we always love all of the volunteers,” she said. “Financially, as well — we are a privately funded organization, so we rely solely on donations from the community. Every dollar that you donate helps us keep the lights on, pay for the utilities for the homes, furnish the homes and everything in between.”

Lastly, something as simple as word of mouth can make a large impact for the organization.

“We’re still a newer organization in town,” Giefer said, “so the more you can talk about Veterans Community Project to your friends and family to pique their interest, the better. We’re always happy to invite people out and give them a tour because we want to make sure that everybody in our community knows about this project.”

The broader VCP organization has a total of five locations across the country and recently broke ground on a sixth in Glendale, Arizona.

But helping the more than 32,000 homeless veterans in the U.S. starts with making a difference right here in our community.

“I hope we continue to make an impact in the Sioux Falls community,” Giefer said, “and that we also be a connector piece. I hope that we can kind of be that central point for all the veteran resources within Sioux Falls to make sure that we help our veterans the best we can.”

When you bank with a local organization like First National, you can feel good knowing your money goes back to supporting our communities. Find your new checking or savings account on our website!