Donation to boost supportive housing for Collier County veterans
The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation has awarded a $40,000 grant to Warrior Homes of Collier to boost the nonprofit group’s efforts to provide supportive housing for local veterans.
Warrior Homes of Collier operates four residences for local veterans, including Bravo and Charlie Houses, which serve seniors on fixed incomes who receive rent subsidies (known as supportive housing), and Delta House, a supportive housing complex with 10 apartments for up to 20 veterans, both men and women.
Beyond providing a roof over their heads, Warrior Homes of Collier also connects veterans with support services such as mental health counseling and peer support through the David Lawrence Centers, as well as educational opportunities, including college scholarships.
The new grant will enable Warrior Homes of Collier to provide stable housing to an additional 26 veterans.
“This generous support from the Schulze Family Foundation gets us one step closer to our goal of ending veterans’ homelessness in Collier County,” said Dale Mullin, a retired Vietnam veteran, founder and president of Warrior Homes Collier. “As housing costs in our community continue to rise, senior veterans living on fixed incomes are particularly vulnerable.”
The challenge grant requires Warrior Homes Collier to raise a comparable sum from donors over the next year, which the Schulze Family Foundation will then match.
In addition to its supportive housing units, Warrior Homes of Collier operates Alpha House, a short-term, transitional residence for those in recovery from substance abuse.
Schulze, founder of Best Buy, created his family foundation in 2004. The foundation primarily serves communities in Minnesota and Florida, awarding grants to nonprofits in the areas of human and social services, education (including college scholarships), and health and medicine.
