CV NEWS FEED // A nonprofit founded by a family who lost their brother, a firefighter, on September 11, 2001, is working to end veteran homelessness and broke ground this month on one of their latest Veteran Villages, this time in Denver.
The new complex will provide veterans housing, resources, and support “aimed at reintegrating veterans back into the community,” according to ABC’s local news outlet Denver7.
“Our commitment is to ensure that no veteran is left behind,” Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Homeless Veterans Program promises.
On November 7, the organization broke ground in Denver on a new Veterans’ Village, Denver7 reported. The building was formerly a hotel, and the Foundation is converting it into a living facility that is affordable to veterans facing homelessness. They will only pay 30% of their monthly income to live there, according to Denver7. The news outlet reported that in June, Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, who was also working to help veterans in need in the city, said there were 52 veterans in Denver who were experiencing homelessness.
Veterans Villages can be found in Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and other states, according to the program’s webpage. The organization also plans to expand with locations in California, Texas, Washington, and other states.
According to the program’s webpage, the Foundation also has a National Case Management Network that offers support for veterans and their families, taking into account their individualized immediate needs.
After the team of case managers works to meet their housing needs, the team assesses their mental, financial, and emotional needs, according to the program’s webpage. The team also leans on a national network of professionals as the veterans advance toward their long-term goals.
The Homeless Veterans Program is one of several main programs offered by the Foundation, which offers support in various ways to Gold Star families, veterans and first responders.
The Foundation’s name was inspired by the heroic story of Stephen Siller, who gave his life while responding to the devastating attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City on 9/11.
Stephen was raised by his six older siblings after they lost their parents, who were both lay Franciscans, when Stephen was a young child, according to Tunnel to Towers’s biography page about Stephen.
By 2001, at age 34, Stephen was married and had five children. He was also a firefighter assigned to Brooklyn Squad 1.
Stephen was off duty, playing golf with his brothers, when the Twin Towers were hit.
The Tunnel to Towers biography about Stephen continues: “Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.”
Stephen drove to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it was already closed.
“Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers,” the story continued, “where he gave up his life while saving others.”
Stephen’s siblings founded Tunnel to Towers in 2002 originally “as a New York City-based charity run that retraced Stephen’s steps on 9/11,” according to a 2019 article by Tony Rossi in the “Christophers’ Blog.” The Foundation has since expanded to serve many people in remarkable ways. Tunnel to Towers “has grown into a national force for good,” Rossi wrote.
The Foundation has a number of programs that serve Gold Star families, veterans, first responders, and their families.
“They build specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured members of the military who have lost arms and legs, pay off mortgages for families of first responders who have been killed in the line of duty, pay off mortgages for Gold Star families whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country,” Rossi wrote.
Stephen’s older brother Frank Siller, who is the Foundation’s CEO, shared about how prayer and support can be especially helpful in times of loss.
According to Rossi, Frank said of those whom the Foundation supports, “I understand exactly each point they’re at because I lived it … After 9/11, so many people were there for our family. It lifts you to know you’re not alone, and that people care and are praying for you.”
Those interested in learning more about Tunnel to Towers can do so here.
