www.montereycountynow.com NOVEMBER 6-12, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Navy veteran Gary Roidt finally has an apartment of his own inside the 71-unit Lightfighter Village in Marina, subsidized housing for low-income veterans and their families that opened earlier this year. He previously shared housing with other veterans through a Veterans Transition Center program, which gave him a roof over his head, but there were always roommates to contend with. “I get to do what I want when I want,” Roidt says proudly, wearing a Stars and Stripes-decorated lanyard around his neck and a Lightfighter Village cap on his head. “It’s really been great.” Roidt, who was wounded in Vietnam in 1963 as a medic attached to the U.S. Marines and later spent 35 years as a long-haul trucker, is also enjoying the camaraderie—one of his favorite things to do is to hang out with fellow veterans on Tuesday and Thursday mornings during a coffee social open to all tenants. A decade ago, Lightfighter Village was just a dream for the leaders of VTC, a nonprofit with a mission of taking veteran homelessness in Monterey County to “functional zero,” a term used to describe when homelessness in a community is rare and brief. The organization had the will and access to funding but is not a developer, says Kurt Schake, CEO of VTC. They turned to nonprofit developer EAH Housing to construct the complex. Between the two agencies, they cobbled enough grants, donations and other finances together to pay $44 million for construction. Schake calls the partnership “a dream come true.” After some delays, EAH broke ground in 2023. The complex accepted the first tenants in February this year, with VTC providing case management and other supportive services and EAH providing site management as well as activities and other tenant services. The modern, three-story complex is not far from VTC headquarters, in a neighborhood of duplexes that once housed military families. It includes 64 studio apartments and seven two-bedroom apartments for families. Some of the features include a playground, community garden, meditation room, computer room, community room and fitness room. There’s also an indoor pet washing station, unique for EAH, says Resident Manager Cindy Delgado. “You wouldn’t imagine a place like this would provide this type of support,” Delgado says. In addition to the coffee socials that Roidt enjoys, there are art classes, financial education, a walking club, garden club and monthly activities like bingo, birthday celebrations and a town hall. Supportive services include counseling and case management to connect veterans to benefits. The partnership between VTC and EAH is now expanding beyond Lightfighter Village. They are already planning on constructing a 35-unit building for veterans as part of Greenfield Commons Phase II in Greenfield, Schake says, including the same management and services arrangement as Lightfighter Village. They expect to break ground in late 2026. Home Time Veterans are finding a place of respite in a 100-percent affordable complex in Marina. By Pam Marino The 71-unit Lightfighter Village was completed earlier this year, housing lowincome veterans and providing supportive services to help them be successful in their new homes. NEWS The partnership is “a dream come true.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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