Meet the new leader of the Sioux Falls Veterans Community Project

A longtime military leader with experience in fundraising will be the one to move the Sioux Falls tiny-home village for veterans into its next stage of development.

John Holter took over this month as executive director of the Veterans Community Project of Sioux Falls, which moved in its first homeless veterans late last year.

Ultimately, the village at 376 N. Willow Ave. is expected to include 15 single-occupant and 10 family units, in addition to a building with space for staff and services.

For Holter, a 30-year military veteran who served as director of operations for the South Dakota Army National Guard from 2010 to 2014, the connection was immediate and personal.

“I was immediately attracted to what they’ve got going on here,” he said. “When you come out and see the village, you are just sucked in.”

While he was “completely retired, traveling with my wife and enjoying the good life,” an introduction through a mutual friend last year led Holter to the VCP, where his unique combination of skills became clear.

Following his military service, he served as director of development for the University of South Dakota Foundation, so he blends critical fundraising experience with a passion for serving others.

When Holter initially came into the village as a volunteer, “we felt like he was a natural fit to our small but mighty team! As the weeks went by, John became a great asset in the way of connections and mentorship,” development director Alisha Grove said.

“When the executive director position opened, we knew he would be the perfect leader to move us forward in the Sioux Falls community.”

The mission of VCP is to create a specialized community of tiny homes aimed at providing sanctuary and emotional space needed for each veteran to address his or her underlying cause of homelessness.

“This is not a job for me,” Holter said. “It’s a mission. It’s a passion. I said: ‘I don’t want a job. I want this mission.'”

It’s a complex one, though, including finding the right people who can benefit from the inclusive program, which combines housing with wraparound services that address what made the veteran lose housing in the first place. Of the three who moved in last fall, two veterans remain with the program.

Additionally, construction continues, which means a full staff isn’t yet on board and Holter’s role still involves helping oversee the building. Three homes are move-in ready, and five more are framed up and enclosed.

“So we can move forward when we raise the money to put in sinks and toilets and beds,” he said. “And we’re raising money to try and build the village center, which is where the offices will be, a conference room space to do counseling and have people come in and do workshops and work on things like financial literacy and resumes and the whole gamut of things to support them.”

The VCP is the current Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Community community appeals project, aiming to raise $1.2 million to support finishing the village by the end of 2025.

“We are moving forward,” Holter said. “We’ve been blessed that the chamber is doing their community appeals. … We’ve only got six weeks left until the end of March, so (I’ve been) meeting people who are stakeholders in the organization and getting embedded with the right people so we can make this work going forward. I think we can keep the momentum going.”

The VCP receives no federal funding, he added.

“The community has been extraordinarily generous — I can’t say that enough — not only with volunteer hours but with money. We are grateful, we need it, and we’ve just got to keep it going,” he said. “I’m very excited and amped up to be part of it and really hope I can come in and make a difference.”