MACV and YardHomes recently broke ground for the first accessory dwelling unit (ADU) located on a MACV-owned property. The event represents opening a new chapter in our drive to end Veteran homelessness in Minnesota.

YardHomes, headquartered in New Brighton, builds prefabricated ADUs for a variety of purposes. Typically between 300-800 cubic feet in size, ADUs can offer fully functional living spaces for single Veterans getting back on their feet.

YardHomes’ initiative to partner with area nonprofits, named Y-HELP, seeks to address the affordable housing crisis by constructing ADUs for use by individuals affected by housing instability. “When this property came up and we decided this could be the first location, I was just ecstatic,” YardHomes employee Nichol Beckstrand comments.

Longtime MACV supporter Xcel Energy contributed to the project through the volunteerism of its employees and has pledged ongoing support for future ADU constructions on MACV properties. “It’s in the culture of our company,” explains Navy Veteran and Xcel CEO Bob Frenzel explains.

Our partnership with YardHomes helps MACV provide supportive housing to the hardest-to-house Veterans we serve. It is difficult to find an apartment or rental house which accepts Section 8 or VA HUD-VASH vouchers, which are used by many low-income Veterans. This can force people to couch surf, live in a tent, or at other unsafe location because it’s hard to find another place that will take them as tenants.

Innovative strategies for ending Veteran homelessness like the YardHomes initiative bring MACV closer to achieving our mission than ever before. Volunteerism and philanthropy from numerous partners have come together to make our goal a reality, and we want to thank YardHomes, Xcel, and MACV’s donor community for this opportunity. You can learn more about Y-HELP here, and check out the story WCCO aired about the project here!