SACO — On the eve of Veterans Day, local and state officials joined veterans and other community members for the dedication of The Arthur B. Huot Veteran Housing facility.

It was a day to celebrate new housing for homeless veterans, and to honor those who have served, including the namesake Arthur Huot, who died earlier this year.

The new housing facility, located in a wing of the Kimball Health Center on Lincoln Street, has 10 efficiency apartments for homeless veterans, plus an apartment for staffing.

The wing is ready and expected to open soon. Additional funding of about $210,000 is still needed to pay back a loan and for furnishings and other items, according to Volunteers of America Northern New England spokesman Glenn Michaels.

The program is designed to serve veterans who are in need of stable housing and provide them with additional services to become independent, according to a press release from Volunteers of America, Northern New England.

At the dedication ceremony Wednesday morning, June Koegel, CEO of Volunteers of America New England, thanked those in attendance.

“It really has been a community-wide effort: The community of Saco, the veteran’s community and the State of Maine,” she said.

The staff at Volunteers of America will work closely with the Veterans Administration, local veterans’ services, Veterans Benefit Administration and other community agencies to provide programs that focus on health care, nutrition, medication management, recreation and social skills building, according to their release. Treatment for alcohol and drug addiction or mental health may be provided based on individual’s needs, according to the statement.

Residents will take part in the program for about two years, or until they have the resources needed to secure long-term housing. The program will serve both men and women and will be the first in the state to provide housing for homeless women.

Volunteers of America of Northern New England is a faith-based non-profit that provides housing and support services for veterans, elderly, children and people transitioning out of prison.

Jatrice Martel Gaiter, of the national office of VOA in Virginia, said that Volunteers of America has been a leader in providing shelter and other help for homeless veterans since World War II. Today, VOA serves more than 7,000 homeless veterans and provides services in 15 states, she said.

“It is a crime that anybody in this fabulous country is a homeless veteran. That word should not even exist,” said Gaiter.

Almost 12 percent of troops coming back from Afghanistan are women, she said. They can face problems such as alcoholism, depression and post traumatic stress disorder and oftentimes, they don’t have support systems, she said.

“Here, you are one of the first people in the country who is putting together a program that doesn’t just provide a roof and help with substance abuse or a job program, you are providing a community. You are putting a soul back into a body that fought for us, here in Maine,” said Gaiter.

Dale McCormick, director of MaineHousing, said there has been an increase in homeless veterans nationwide. According to research reported in January, there are 885 homeless people in Maine, and of those, 90 were veterans, she said.

“Too often, when veterans come home, we are grateful, we say thank you, we give them a pat on the back, and then we leave them on their own. For more and more veterans, that’s not enough,” said McCormick.

She told the crowd that by dedicating the new housing program, they are doing more than just saying thank you to veterans.

“”¦ We are going to show our appreciation for your sacrifice by building transitional housing with appropriate services to help you move from homelessness to a stable life,” she said.

Retired General Wallace Nutting, former mayor of Biddeford, said more than 175,000 veterans are living in Maine today. Maine may not have a large population compared to other states, but “we’re huge in pride and tradition,” he said.

Nutting said that Volunteers of America was “taking a great step this morning” to eliminate homeless veterans in Maine.

“We are also showing today that we take care of our own,” he said.

Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the number of homeless Vietnam veterans is greater than the number of Americans who died in that war, and the country is seeing homeless veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Collins said U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has pledged to eliminate homelessness in veterans in five years.

“This house is such an important step forward to meeting that commitment,” she said. “As a nation, we must ensure that in the land of the free there is always a home for the brave.”

Collins urged citizens to express gratitude to veterans through words and actions.

“By serving the veterans who will live in this wonderful new home, you honor each and every veteran who has served our country,” said Collins.

Amy Huot Ouellette, daughter of Arthur “Skip” Huot, described her father as someone who got things done, spoke out at City Council meetings, and helped others. Some things he did behind the scenes, such as changing a light bulb at church or fixing her garage door while she was at work. He also was someone who helped a friend financially to get them on their feet, unloaded boxes at the food pantry, and brought people fishing when they needed some time away.

“I’ve learned a lot of things from my father. How to show love, how to stop and listen. But the biggest lesson that I learned is that any one of us can make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time,” said Ouellette.

Koegel said the project took a long time to come to fruition, and credited people like Huot “who fought tooth and nail behind the scenes to make it happen.”

According to information provided by Volunteers of America, Huot was a proud veteran who faithfully attended every planning board, zoning board, board of appeals and City Council meeting regarding the housing project, and also worked behind the scenes to gather community support for the project.

The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Maine Housing as well as a number of foundations and businesses.

If interested in making a donation, call Patricia Murtagh at 373-1140, Ext. 221.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at  [email protected].