Cabin in the Woods
"We are home."
21 veterans and their families can finally say “we are home” as Cabin in the Woods opens its doors and offers peace of mind to residents. After serving our country, our veterans deserve more than just a thank you, they deserve a home and a community that will fight for them the way they have fought for us, and now they have just that.
Cabin in the Woods Community is the first project of its kind in the state of Maine, and the only program in Maine that will offer permanent housing for homeless male and female veterans, as well as their families.
The cabins have been built on 11 wooded acres on the grounds of Togus VA Medical Center in Chelsea, Maine and are within walking distance of services.
There are 16 one-bedroom and five two-bedroom 550-square-foot cabins, all less than 800 square feet, as well as a 700-square-foot two-bedroom cabin for office and community space. Special attention was given to maintaining a rustic, wooded private setting for each of the cabins.
“I tell you what, this is incredible,” said Tim Buckmore , a former homeless vet and now new community member at Cabin in the Woods. “They need to spend more money on programs like this. I’m so grateful for the privacy and the quietness and how easy it is to get to my appointments. Plus the people who made this happen for me have been so helpful and nice. This is a great investment if veterans and I think it’s long overdue.”
The program has an emphasis on family reunification and employment, Cabin in the Woods will work with many local, regional, state and federal agencies to meet the needs of veterans and their families.
The $4.2 million development cost of the project will be funded primarily by Maine Housing Tax Credit Allocation. Our work continues with MaineHousing to finalize the timeline and construction documents. We have partnered with the Veterans Administration to secure a 75 year lease on the land and the Home Depot Foundation is generously funding a portion of the cabin construction costs.
The land for the Cabin in the Woods development was acquired through the Department of Veterans Affairs Enhanced Use Lease Program, where the VA leases underutilized real estate to the private sector for the purpose of developing housing for homeless veterans.
If you are interested in contributing to Cabin in the Woods please contact Michael Coon at 207-373-1140. Additional information about Cabin in the Woods and our partners can be found in our Media Kit.