A four-story apartment building for homeless veterans and their families will rise on a vacant downtown lot after the Wheaton City Council voted 6-1 on Monday, March 2 to approve the Hero Homes project. With groundbreaking approaching this fall, the development marks the first time the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans will house veterans alongside their families.

The 20-unit building, planned for the corner of South Main Street and West Willow Avenue next to Wheaton Meat Co., would bring DuPage County to what MSHV calls "functional zero" veteran homelessness. The organization and other providers track approximately 20 homeless veterans in the county, which determined the building's unit count. Nonprofit New Directions Housing Corp. will serve as the developer, according to Shaw Local.

"No one that's defended our home should go without a home," Rizik Mohammad, MSHV's deputy executive director and a Marine veteran, said at the March 2 council meeting, as reported by The Wheaton Record.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority committed $10.1 million to the project, covering 90% of total development costs through a combination of state and federal funding. The remaining 10% comes from grants, fundraising, and donations. All 20 units will be covered by project-based vouchers through the DuPage Housing Authority, with funding secured for at least 30 years.

Five of the apartments will have two bedrooms. The building will also include a fitness room, office space for supportive services, and a community room.

MSHV, founded in 2007 by Vietnam War veteran Bob Adams and Gulf War veteran Dirk Enger, already operates transitional and affordable housing at three other Wheaton locations. The organization is based at 433 S. Carlton Ave.

Mayor Philip Suess voiced support at the March 2 meeting, calling Hero Homes a project addressing "a need in our community with respect to veterans." Councilman-at-Large Bradley Clousing praised the 30-year voucher funding as providing long-term economic stability for the building.

The vote was not unanimous.

Councilwoman Lynn Robbins cast the lone dissenting vote, citing traffic concerns. She noted Hero Homes would sit one block from the 334-unit Farewell Apartments.

The project had cleared Wheaton's Planning and Zoning Board before reaching the full council. MSHV also revised the building's original modern design after neighbors and council members said the light gray and tan brick with metal railings would clash with Main Street's historic architecture.

MSHV plans approximately one year of construction once groundbreaking begins this fall, with leasing expected to start in fall 2027. Residents can reach the organization at (630) 871-8387.