Designing with dignity: LEO A DALY’s partnership with Tunnel to Towers to end veteran homelessness
Residential Market Sector Leader Michael Rodebaugh shares how LEO A DALY has designed Veterans Villages across the U.S. for the nonprofit organization
Recent Perspectives
By Mike Rodebaugh, AIA
Veteran homelessness remains one of the most complex and urgent social challenges facing communities across the United States. On any given night, approximately 35,000 veterans experience homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has responded with an ambitious and deeply mission-driven commitment: to reduce that number to zero through the creation of permanent, dignified housing coupled with comprehensive support services.
LEO A DALY partners with Tunnel to Towers on this nationwide effort, bringing design expertise, technical rigor, and a human-centered philosophy to the development of Veterans Villages across the country. These projects help restore stability, independence and dignity for those who have served.
A National Vision, Delivered Locally
The cornerstone of the Tunnel to Towers strategy is the creation of permanent housing communities for at-risk veterans — places designed not as temporary facilities, but as true homes. T2T’s Veterans Villages are intentionally located within existing communities with identified needs, reinforcing integration.
LEO A DALY works hand in hand with T2T to identify, evaluate, and develop sites nationwide. To date, more than 35 potential locations have been assessed, with approximately 16 advancing into active design and development. Each site represents a carefully considered response to regional context, local culture, and the specific needs of the veteran population it serves.
While programmatic consistency ensures a reliable level of care, no two villages are identical. The design approach is flexible by necessity, balancing a national mission with local realities.
From Housing to Community: What a Veteran Village Provides
Each Tunnel to Towers Veterans Village is designed to support long-term, independent living while embedding services that address the root causes of homelessness. Communities typically include an average of 100 apartments and/or comfort homes, each thoughtfully planned with full kitchens, private bathrooms and living spaces that reflect dignity and autonomy rather than institutional necessity.
Beyond individual residences, the Villages incorporate a robust mix of supportive services and shared amenities, including:
Case management and on-site supportive staff
Workforce training and counseling services
Fitness and wellness facilities
Multi-purpose community and activity spaces
On-site post office boxes and wardrobe services
Grab-and-go canteens and convenience services
LEO A DALY collaborates closely with local operators and service providers to tailor these components so that each Village responds to the specific social, economic and cultural needs of its region.
The LEO A DALY Approach: Adaptive, Modular, and Purpose-Driven
There is no one-size-fits-all model for the Veterans Villages. Some are designed to be built ground up. Others use modular units to streamline construction. Several of the communities, including the recently opened Veterans Village outside of Atlanta, repurpose underperforming limited-service hotels, using adaptive reuse to transform these structures into vibrant, community-oriented residential environments.
LEO A DALY brings deep expertise in modular planning, hospitality-to-residential conversion, and multi-family design to these efforts. Special attention is paid to spatial adjacencies, circulation, daylight, acoustics, and the physical character of shared spaces—elements that directly influence daily experience, ease of use, and resident well-being.
Designing with Dignity
At the core of LEO A DALY’s work with Tunnel to Towers is an approach we call dignity-driven design. This philosophy starts with a simple premise: the design of the built environment has a profound impact on how people see themselves and their place in the world.
In the context of Veterans Villages, dignity-driven design means spaces are designed to feel welcoming, residential, and respectful. These are places where veterans can take pride in their homes and feel a sense of ownership and belonging.
This philosophy guides decisions at every scale, from the overall site layout to the detailing of individual units and common areas. It emphasizes independence while supporting community, privacy while encouraging connection, and functionality without sacrificing warmth or character. The result is an environment that not only meets operational needs but actively supports veterans as they rebuild their lives and reengage with society.
Revitalizing People and Place
The impact of Tunnel to Towers Veterans Villages extends beyond the residents they serve. Many of the hotels acquired for conversion were underperforming assets within their neighborhoods, often requiring significant maintenance and investment. Their transformation creates visible community revitalization—upgraded buildings, improved streetscapes, and renewed purpose for previously overlooked sites.
Once operational, these Villages also generate skilled employment opportunities and strengthen local service networks. In this way, the program delivers dual value: stabilizing the lives of individual veterans while contributing to the health and vitality of the surrounding community.
A Model for Meaningful Impact
The Tunnel to Towers Veterans Villages are a replicable model for how design, philanthropy, and community partnership can work together to address one of our nation’s most pressing challenges. Through thoughtful planning, adaptive reuse, and a commitment to dignity, these projects demonstrate what is possible when mission and design excellence are aligned.
LEO A DALY is honored to contribute to this work and to support Tunnel to Towers in its goal of ending veteran homelessness — one community, and one dignified home, at a time.
About the author
Michael Rodebaugh, AIA
Senior Associate, Market Sector Leader, Residential / Care Communities
Michael Rodebaugh, AIA, leads LEO A DALY’s residential market sector, encompassing senior living, multi-family, and transitional housing. With more than 25 years of design and project management experience, he has guided projects of every scale, from intimate residential communities to senior living campuses exceeding 700,000 square feet.
At the heart of Michael’s work is a philosophy he calls dignity-driven design, based on the belief that every person deserves a living environment that respects individuality, fosters independence, and enhances daily life. Drawing on a background that spans residential, hospitality, and resort design, he creates human-centered environments that balance operational performance with warmth, beauty, and a strong sense of belonging.
Interested in learning more? Contact Michael or check out our work with Veterans Affairs to learn why LEO A DALY is the No. 1 VA design firm in the U.S.