The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is preparing to break ground on a new permanent supportive housing complex for veterans in Northfield, bringing 97 units of affordable housing and on-site services to an almost eight-acre property.
The foundation is currently under contract and expected to close on the property soon. After its Oct. 28 groundbreaking ceremony, the organization plans to construct the Northfield Veterans Village with 24 of its “comfort homes,” or approximately 500-square-foot units designed for veterans.
Gavin Naples, executive vice president of the foundation’s Homeless Veteran Program, said the Northfield project is part of a larger effort by Tunnel to Towers to address veteran homelessness nationwide. The nonprofit’s homeless veteran program began in early 2023, but it has been providing smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and gold star families way before then.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City.
Firefighter Stephen Siller was just getting off his shift at Brooklyn’s Squad 1 and heading to play golf with his brother when he heard about a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center through his personal scanner.
Siller then turned around to head back to the fire station to retrieve his gear and drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. He then strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back and ran nearly 4 miles to the Twin Towers. Siller died while responding and his body was never recovered.
Following his death, Siller’s brothers and sisters sat around the kitchen table and decided they needed to honor his sacrifice.
In the 25 years since that kitchen table discussion, the foundation has provided more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes to catastrophically injured veterans, families of fallen first responders and Gold Star families, according to Naples.
Tunnel to Towers’ Veterans Village model provides permanent housing rather than transitional housing or a shelter. Veterans pay monthly program fees, which Naples said do not exceed the affordable housing maximum for the location.
“This is not a free ride. This is not a handout. It’s a hand up, and it gets our veterans ready for independent living,” Naples said.
The villages are designed to provide more than housing. Each has 24/7 wraparound supportive services, including case management, employment assistance, legal advocacy and financial literacy programs.
Naples said the villages also feature amenities such as gyms, libraries, game rooms, screening rooms, multipurpose rooms, laundries, workforce development areas, lounges and dining rooms.
“There’s a very hefty event calendar that accompanies all of our villages to make our veterans feel part of the community,” he said, citing activities including pet therapy, art therapy, music therapy, cooking classes and holiday events.
The Northfield project is one of roughly 20 Tunnel to Towers projects currently in development across the country. The foundation plans to build more than 100 veterans villages, representing more than 12,000 units of permanent supportive housing, over the next 10 to 15 years.
The foundation also operates a national case management network for veterans and their families who may not live near one of its villages.
“If there’s a family of five that’s not going to fit into a one bedroom, our national case management network is the second prong of our program,” Naples said. “We assist veterans and their families, get them into 2, 3, 4, 5-bedroom, houses, apartments, something that suits their family size.”
Veterans who need assistance can currently apply through the foundation’s website, t2t.org, although applications for the Northfield village will come closer to its completion.
Naples said construction is expected to take approximately 16 months once the project is ready to break ground.
The foundation is scheduled to hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Oct. 28 at the Northfield site, located at 823 Wabash Avenue. The event will include food, information about the foundation’s programs and a Tunnel to Towers comfort home for visitors to tour.
Julia graduated from Rider University in 2024 with a BA in multiplatform journalism and minor in social media strategies. In addition to reporting on local news for Shore Local, she is a social media strategist for small businesses. Connect with her: shorelocaljulia@gmail.com or @juliatrain on Instagram.
