Port Jervis veterans tiny-home village nears completion with support services

Nearly complete in Port Jervis, Rumshock Veterans Village was set to mark its public opening on East Main Street with a ribbon-cutting that showed how far the project had come from concept to near move-in. Built on 0.75 acres, the master-planned community was being billed locally as the first veterans community of its kind in Orange County, and its bigger selling point was not just the homes, but the services wrapped around them.

Inside one of the units, the footprint was tight but practical: roughly 420 square feet with a bedroom, bathroom, living area and kitchen. The finished village was planned to include 10 tiny homes, a community center, job-training space and other support services, the kind of setup that turns a row of cabins into a reentry program. Four homes had already been completed on the East Main Street property, with six more under construction, and the homes were designed with private backyards, solar power and water-reclamation systems.

The opening was scheduled for Sunday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 297 East Main Street in Port Jervis. Officials and community leaders lined up to speak included Rep. Pat Ryan, state Sen. James Skoufis, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Port Jervis Mayor Dominic M. Cicalese, Orange County Veterans’ Service Agency Director Christian Farrell and Orange-Ulster BOCES carpentry instructor Corey Miller. BOCES construction-trades students helped build modular sections for the homes, adding a workforce-training piece to a project already aimed at housing stability.

Rumshock Veterans Foundation president Tyler Whetsel said the goal was to help veterans experiencing homelessness transition back into stable housing and independence. The project traces back to William “Bill” Whetsel, who founded the foundation in 2019 after hearing how hard it was for veterans to find stable housing. He had been an Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician before later working for Trans World Airlines and helping transition U.S. airports to federal security after 9/11.

Funding helped push the village over the line, including $400,000 in state support and $1 million in federal funding secured by Ryan. William Whetsel died on February 21 and was honored at a memorial service on February 28 with military funeral honors, before seeing the first residents move in. With transportation support and hydroponic farming programs still planned, Rumshock was being built as more than a place to sleep, and that is what makes the nearly finished village stand out in a crowded housing moment.