A Place for Heroes to Call Home in Sarasota, FL
Steven Mitchell is a Marine Corps veteran and a carpenter in Sarasota, Florida, where he moved in 2009. When the recovery residence he was living in was condemned, the Salvation Army helped him find Heroes' Village.
"It brought tears to my eyes, ain't going to lie," Mitchell said. "Having the time to not have to worry so much about rent and bills has enabled me to concentrate on finally finding something that's a career. And on top of that, taking care of my health."
He's one of 20 veterans now living at Heroes' Village—Sarasota's first affordable housing complex dedicated entirely to those who served. Ten two-bedroom units. It is their home, permanently, for as long as they choose.
The Idea That Stuck
It started with a conversation. In 2020, a group of donors approached Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) with an idea grounded in a basic American promise: that we show up for the members of our armed forces and take care of them when they come home.
"This project would not exist without philanthropy," said Phillip Lanham, Gulf Coast President and CEO. "It's the will to get something done and push through that made this project happen."
Built by Community
The $3 million project drew on private philanthropy, city resources, The City of Sarasota donated the land and contributed $800,000 in public dollars. Gulf Coast assembled the remaining financing and brought the key partners to the table.
St. Vincent de Paul CARES manages the complex and provides wraparound services to residents—mental health care, transportation to medical appointments, and employment assistance. Residents pay no more than 30% of their income on rent and are eligible to stay indefinitely.
"It takes longer than you think it will, it'll be over budget and it takes lots of collaboration," Lanham said. "But the proverb applies here: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
More Than a Roof
Even veterans with income from Social Security or VA benefits face long odds in the Sarasota rental market. As of early 2025, 82 veterans in the region were on a housing waitlist.
"This project is not only about preventing homelessness," said Jon Thaxton, former Sarasota County commissioner and Gulf Coast Director of Policy and Advocacy. "It's about providing housing with dignity."
Mitchell's neighbor, Paul-Stephen Varszegi, 66, a Marine Corps veteran who was struck by two cars and spent nine months in a VA hospital, applied for Heroes' Village from his hospital bed. He was approved in a month. "I was very grateful," he said, "because truthfully, I didn't have any place to go."
A First, Not a Last
Heroes' Village may be the first, but its founders are already thinking about what it could become. "We'll learn a lot from it," Lanham said.
Currently 20 veterans in North Sarasota have a place to call home. Outside, a 35-foot mural by local artist Tim Jaeger covers the side of the building, serving as a permanent marker of what a community can build when public resources and private partnership point in the same direction.
Generosity Builds is a storytelling initiative from the Council on Foundations highlighting the ways charitable foundations show up as a nonpartisan force for good in our communities — from scientific breakthroughs to community childcare, veterans support, and disaster relief.
