Perkins Eastman Celebrates Groundbreaking of VA Illiana Health Care Campus Housing

CHICAGO, Ill. — Perkins Eastman celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for  Mercy Housing Lakefront, the new 74,100-square-foot housing development for Veterans and their families on the Department of Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care campus in Danville, Illinois. The Perkins Eastman design team was in attendance, represented by Principal Jerry Walleck AIA, LEED A.P., Senior Associate JinHwa Paradowicz AIA, LEED A.P. BD+C and Project Architect Ryan Stahlman LEED A.P. In addition to design, the firm is providing planning and site programming services for Mercy Housing Lakefront. The development is targeting LEED Silver certification.

Mercy Housing Lakefront is part of the Veteran Administration’s national Enhanced-Use Lease program which seeks to reuse underutilized VA properties to create safe, affordable and permanent housing for homeless veterans and their families. The first phase of this multi-phase development will include 65 new apartments, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, as well as a new community center. The center will welcome other members of the VA community, creating an intergenerational gathering space that is accessible, hospitable and visible.

Supporting the VA’s mission of providing quality housing geared towards enabling veterans to achieve self-sufficiency, Perkins Eastman’s design for Mercy Housing fully integrates the facility within the campus, allowing residents easy access to healthcare, counseling offices, a job-training center and the nearby Danville Community College, among other amenities.