Veterans Community Project to transition leaders as village enters final construction phase

John Holter borrows a term from his boss when describing the position he is retiring from later this year: hard fun.

As executive director at the Veterans Community Project of Sioux Falls, Holter combines leadership with fundraising and management while working with veterans who want to move out of the mire caused by homelessness.

While Holter didn’t realize the magnitude of the moving parts he would encounter as the tiny-homes village for veterans began taking shape, he has no regrets about leaving retirement for a second time to take it on. Holter, a 30-year military veteran who served as the South Dakota Army National Guard’s director of operations from 2010 to 2014, retired once again as director of development for the University of South Dakota Foundation.

Then, the chance to impact others came up about two years ago. While it meant summers of golf and travel with his wife, Traci, had to be postponed, Holter’s only regret is that he couldn’t have gotten involved with VCP years earlier.

“This has just been the coolest thing to be part of” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to be part of VCP.”

VCP’s mission is to create a specialized community of tiny homes aimed at providing the sanctuary and emotional space needed as a veteran addresses his or her underlying causes of homelessness.

When the VCP in Sioux Falls is finished at 376 N. Willow Ave., likely in 2026, it will include 15 single-person and 10 family units, in addition to buildings with space for staff and services and for volunteers. Currently, 10 residences are open with eight currently occupied. As the program nears its second full year of housing people, seven people have graduated from it.

Sidewalks need to be poured for five additional houses, then they will be ready for occupancy. Several more foundations should be poured soon; work on the structures will begin this winter and should be completed by next summer, Holter said. The Village Center, with office space and a place for participating veterans to gather, is finished.

“I’ve done what I was hired to do, to get the momentum back in village, to get the right people hired and to expand relationships. Construction isn’t completely done, but I see the path where it’s going to go,” he said.

Holter has done what he was hired to do and much more, said Matt J. Smith, chair of the VCP board of directors.

“John was the right person for this two-year building ramp-up. He could take his veteran experience and real skills as a leader and collaborator,” Smith said. “He communicates well with his staff, he communicates well with his board, and he utilizes the skills of those around him to get work done … having someone that came in with maturity and life experience that he could bring to the project.”

Smith has witnessed Holter’s perceptive insights as veterans transition from homelessness to hopefulness.

“He knows that different people need to be led different ways,” Smith said. “Sometimes, they need caring and compassion, and John puts his arms around them. At other times, he’s more military, more direct with coaching and mentoring.”

Like Smith, Jeanine Hoff Lubben has been a volunteer with the VCP since its inception several years ago. At one point, Hoff Lubben considered going into the military but was hesitant. She views her work on the board and assisting with two capital campaigns as another way to serve her country.

“He’s an extraordinary human, and I’m so happy and so thankful for him,” she said of Holter. “He has served in all these ways we didn’t expect him to. He has instilled so much leadership with the employees and has camaraderie with the vets. He’s been the right person over and over again.”

Holter joined the VCP as executive director when it was a startup seeking stability, Hoff Lubben said. Even as a volunteer, he had displayed the necessary leadership, she said.

Hoff Lubben views Holter’s retirement not as a sad thing but as a celebration.

“I’m so thankful that John came out of retirement,” she said. “He told us in the beginning, I’m coming out of retirement because this project is so important. But I’m not going to do it forever. I’ll be here for 12, 18, 24 months, whatever it takes to get over the initial hump of infrastructure and construction. And he did so.”

Applications for the position of executive director are being accepted. The board will look for a person to help the VCP carry out its long-term vision, Smith said. The new director will need one quality that Holter possesses: a passion for helping people.

“You can hear it in his voice and see it in his face,” Smith said. “He really cares about the veterans he serves and the staff he gets to work with on a daily basis.”

Dealing with the homeless community exposed Holter to new challenges. He learned the power of being able to lock a door, knowing you can sleep safely at night. He now understands the importance of going to work while knowing your material goods will be there when you return.

“These are things all of us take for granted because we’ve all led pretty blessed lives,” Holter said. “The trauma that homelessness causes surprised me. Little things like a new set of clothes, how that can change your perspective in life.”

Eight months ago, a homeless veteran moved into a tiny house. A former meth addict, he also had been in prison. A few weeks ago, that veteran, now a VCP graduate, ran into a staff member at a store.

“He said, ‘today is my 200th day sober, and there’s no way I would have made it without VCP.’ … He’s probably 225 days sober now. You get to see that with every single person. Something we do in this community can help change lives for the better.”

While Holter hopes to retire by year’s end, there’s no deadline for departure. He will help with the hiring process and transition, then return once again as a volunteer, back in his old role.

“This place kind of gives me a buzz; I really strongly believe in the mission,” he said. “I’ll do what’s needed — work in community funding or swinging a hammer or mowing the lawn. I just won’t be on the payroll.”