New Affordable Housing for Female Veterans and Families Coming to Glenville

Jun 24, 2021

The Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana broke ground recently in Glenville for the construction of a long-term affordable housing facility for up to 12 female veterans and their families.
 
The $2.3 million project – the Judge Sara J. Harper Village – is close by the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center as well as the Cleveland VA Fisher House - two homes that provide free lodging to out-of-town families who have members being treated at the VA hospital.
 
The Harper Village will offer female veterans, including those with children and/or those who have experienced military sexual trauma, along with those who are low-income, formerly homeless, or about to experience homelessness, fully furnished affordable apartments. The 12 apartments, one and two bedroom efficiency-style – will be in two buildings. And the VOA will ensure those veterans experiencing mental health issues or substance addictions get needed services.   
 
“Our veterans need and deserve this care and support,” Ward 9 Councilman Kevin Conwell said. “I’m also very excited about the project because it keeps the neighborhood redevelopment momentum going and brings jobs.”
 
Councilman Conwell, who was involved in establishing the Fisher House and the new Harper Village in his ward, noted that the new facility will continue the redevelopment of Lee Avenue, which is seeing renovation and new housing going up, filling in vacant lots.
 
He commended the decision to name the project after Judge Sara J. Harper, who grew up in public housing to become the first black woman to graduate from CWRU Law School, and then went on to become a successful prosecutor, judge, and was the first woman to serve on the judiciary of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
 
“The residents will know her history, her successes and children need to see these successes every day,” Councilman Conwell said. 

Construction is expected to be complete in 2022.