Knox County launched its website for a new initiative aimed at providing housing to homeless veterans.
Operation Hero’s Hill will establish 20 tiny homes for homeless veterans along with a computer lab, laundry facility, and a meeting space.
“Operation Hero’s Hill involves not only Knox County government, but also Knox County Schools, the VA, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, and partners in the nonprofit and private sectors,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “Together, we’re working to ensure those who served our country have a place to call home.”
The mayor also stated “every hero deserves a home.”
In Jacob’s most recent weekly update, he called this project a “true community effort.”
According to the project’s website, the tiny homes for the homeless veterans will be built by Knox County Schools Career and Technical Education programs. Construction trade experts will mentor students who work on this project. This opportunity will give these students hands-on experience through this project during the 2025-2026 school year.
Construction on these tiny homes will begin this month, the website notes. D.R. Horton, a homebuilding company, will donate all the building supplies for this project.
As a county, Knox County had the fourth-most veteran residents in Tennessee last year, Knox News reported. Furthermore, the outlet said an average of 315 homeless veterans in the county received homeless services from July 2024 to December 2024.
As a whole, an estimated 2,300 people were using Knox County homeless services daily, WATE reported.
Operation Hero’s Hill is asking people for donations for this project. Its website states it has a fundraising goal of $1.2 million.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
