Beau Village – Tiny Homes for Veterans
Tiny Houses are sweeping the nation with their ability to solve the homeless crisis.
At Verdant Architect, we are involved in a smaller sector of this emerging trend, to help homeless veterans. At this time, there are close to 50,000 homeless Veterans in the United States. The goal is to give homeless veterans a spartan tiny home, in which they can customize the inside of their tiny home. When finished, veterans will then own their homes. A major key to helping the veterans, is designing these homes on wheels. The veteran will be able to take the tiny home anywhere they need, whether for employment or other reasons.
The first development will be the creation of Beau Village, located in Port Penn, Delaware on Augustine Beach, overlooking the Delaware River. The plans call for an “Eco Village” consisting of 12 tiny homes, in a memorial sculpture garden setting. These tiny homes will be built for basic functionality. Tiny houses will be self-sufficient, with access to ‘the grid’ plumbing and electrical power.
Each tiny home will have a shower, a ‘real’ working toilet, a kitchen with sink, counter, small refrigerator and microwave. In addition, detachable solar panels and windmills unique to each home, will conserve energy, which may generate excess electricity. A creative design angle to use natural sunlight for lighting, along with collapsible solar panels, complete this eco-friendly tiny home.
The development of these tiny homes should help veterans get a fresh start. These tiny homes will include a vehicle parking space on the side of the tiny home, enabling the veteran control of their own space. With the tiny homes having wheels, the veteran be able to move anywhere. This is to support the veteran with transitional housing to re-building his/her life.
About Me
Herman DeJong is a semi–retired architect living in Gladwyne, PA. A native of Wassenaar, the Netherlands, he’s moved to the states to begin a career in architecture. Herman started working for Vincent Kling, the most famous architect in Philadelphia at the time.
Herman’s man focus is creating environmentally ‘green architecture’ that is artistic, yet is functional. His main focus is the building of tiny homes. His present project is “Beau Village”, tiny homes for veterans.
Herman’s other passion is jazz. In the 1960s, he played in the Vincent Kling jazz band. Vincent Kling played guitar while Herman played bass. The group rehearsed in the Kling offices and then played at various architect functions.
In the mid ‘80s, Herman was a founding member of a jazz trio that included Judge Richard Kein on drums and City Councilman Ed Schwartz at the piano, with Herman on bass.
