By: Albert Kalenscher

 I went to the construction site of Veterans Village, located in Clackamas County, Oregon. While there, I caught some photos of the work they are doing to build housing pods for veterans who can not afford housing.

Brendan Murphy, the building coordinator of the Veteran Village project, carries a wooden beam across his construction site in Oregon City, Oregon, October 27. Brendan is currently supervising the first wave of construction for the project. Currently they are building ten of the eventual 30 tiny homes which will be shipped to the location of the Veteran Village in Clackamas, Oregon.

Bark dust flies in Brendan Murphy’s face as he uses the buzz saw at the Veterans Village construction location in Oregon City, Oregon on October 27. Brendan has been involved in the project since August, although the idea was originally conceived and presented over a year ago. “Since then, it’s just been a matter of making sure we do it legally, making sure the funding’s ready to go, and making sure our volunteer crew is ready to go,” Murphy said.

Brendan Murphy drills the side of a roof on to one of the tiny homes for the Veteran Village, Oregon City, Oregon, October 27. Brendan says it hasn’t been an easy project, as funding wasn’t always easy to come by. “It’s been a back and forth, a few steps forward and then a few steps back.” Says Brendan. The project has come a long way since construction began in early October.

A stack of several of the 600 trusses that were donated to the Veteran’s village project, Oregon City, Oregon, October 27. The trusses were donated by the Pickathon Music Festival, where they were used for the construction of the stage. “Instead of just using trusses for the roof, which is typical, we’re using trusses for the walls too, because we have 600 of the things,” said Brendan Murphy, the sites construction coordinator. He added that a donation is not uncommon for the project. “We have maybe a dozen different stake holders and donors who really made it happen,” he said

 

Brendan Murphy (right) directs a volunteer towards the buzz saw at the Veterans Village construction site in Oregon City, Oregon, October 27. Volunteer support has been crucial to the construction of these housing pods since the project kicked off on October 4. “Our volunteers are the ones making it happen,” Murphy said. “Without them, we’re nowhere.”