DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — It once provided housing, medical treatment and other services for hundreds of disabled Civil War veterans.

But soon Building 402 — one of the first buildings constructed at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus — will become a new home for homeless female veterans.

The renovated Ohio Avenue Commons — apartment-style housing with 27 units to be unveiled Wednesday, Sept. 3 — is being touted as the nation's first supportive housing initiative open to homeless female veterans.

The program will be run by Miami Valley Housing Opportunities (MVHO) and give the participants access to medical services, day care, job training, and chemical dependency counseling.

There are reportedly 7,000 homeless female veterans in the United States, with half of them suffering from chemical dependency and 33 percent from mental illness.

"Since the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have seen an increased need for veteran housing and services," said Natalie Harris, executive director of MVHO.

"We realize this need and are working with other area organizations to provide veterans a place to call home, proper medical attention and educational programs to help them thrive independently," Harris said.

The Other Place, a daytime homeless shelter, will provide educational workshop programs and job training to help the women re-enter society.

The $4 million project was funded with $1.9 million in low-income tax credits, $1.1 million in U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development HOME program funds, $800,000 in Historic Tax Credits, and $200,000 in local financing.

MVHO is currently accepting applications for the program, which is geared toward homeless women but with a preference toward veterans. For more information, call MVHO at (937) 263-4449.

The agency also operates a nearby supportive housing program at the 4100 W. Third St. VA campus known as Iowa Avenue, where 34 formerly homeless men, many of them veterans, reside.