Transitional housing, tiny homes at Orting provide stepping stones for veterans' recovery

The Washington Soldiers' Home campus includes a transitional housing program and a separate tiny-homes project intended to help chronically homeless veterans move into stable housing. The narrator said the transitional housing program has a capacity of 72 and the tiny homes project 37, and that the two programs together help more than 150 veterans live on campus across programs.

Program staff and residents described services that go beyond shelter: case management, coordination with medical and behavioral-health care, assistance applying for benefits and job-readiness support. The facility also accepts veterans into convalescent care after acute hospital stays and supports recovery needs such as prosthetics and physical therapy.

Former participants credited regular counseling and staff persistence with enabling them to complete appointments, reduce debt and reconnect with family. One resident, who described a history of incarceration and homelessness before entering RETSO in 2022, said the program provided rides and practical supports that made recovery possible.