LA GRANDE — A one-of-a-kind neighborhood is officially up and running in La Grande.

Veterans Village Union County hosted a virtual ribbon-cutting event Thursday, Dec. 9, which acknowledged the many entities that contributed to the village. The 10-house neighborhood is specifically for veterans who otherwise might not have a home.

“Through this amazing collaboration of efforts, we created something wonderful — permanent, well-built and energy-efficient homes for many veterans who would not likely get this opportunity without help,” said Gust Tsiatsos, owner of GCT Land Management, who coordinated the project.

Tsiatsos and Veterans Village Advisory Council Committee Chair Lindsey Freeland hosted the event, which was attended via Zoom by about 40 people. Attendees included La Grande Planning Commission members and county commissioners from Union County as well as other surrounding counties.

The Veterans Village, a little more than 80% of an acre at the corner of Russell Avenue and North Pine Street, features fully furnished homes for veterans. Each unit is a cottage-style small home that includes a bedroom, living room, fireplace, fenced-in backyard and amenities. The 10-house village also has a community center that can serve as a gathering space for fellow veterans to interact.

Tsiatsos recognized many individuals and organizations that assisted along the way in developing the village, among them Kevin Reed; Ace Hardware; Bob Haley, job site superintendent; Terri Bradley, marketing consultant; Seder Architecture; and Angel Smith, social worker.

“Through all the local group and individual support, the state of Oregon also recognized the project as a frontrunner at the state level and a worthy partner through the Oregon Housing and Community Services program,” Tsiatsos said.

The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program through Veterans Affairs finds individuals who meet the guidelines to live in the village, while the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority manages the property. After the La Grande Planning Commission amended its codes to allow for tiny homes and cottage-style houses, the Veterans Village serves as the first example of what can be done to ease the city’s tight housing market.

“I think the concept works well in many applications, not just veterans housing,” Tsiatsos said. “I hope to see other smaller units popping up here and there where we can get some more housing here.”

Veterans Village Baker County is under development, a neighborhood with nine one-bedroom units and three two-bedroom homes. According to Tsiatsos, there is room for another eight units that could be for sale in Baker City. Several visiting county commissioners such as Court Boice of Curry County attended the meeting and asked questions to gauge the possibility of a similar development.

Gus Bedwell, a veteran’s service officer with the state of Oregon, worked with Veterans Village Union County during its development. He noted that the neighborhood can be a blueprint for other communities.

“What Gust and his team has done in La Grande could be done in every single county in the state of Oregon,” Bedwell said.

He said having just 10 to 15 similar units in each county in Oregon could go a long way in addressing homelessness among veterans. It is estimated there are more than 1,300 veterans in Oregon who lack housing.

The virtual gathering concluded with the raising of the United States flag by the veteran residents of the La Grande neighborhood.

“It’s for a very small amount of money too, so we could make a huge impact,” Bedwell said. “I can’t speak highly enough of it.”