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Bryan's Home shines a light for homeless veterans

The World - 3/19/2019

March 19-- Mar. 19--NORTH BEND -- For the first time in over 20 years those who passed by the Operation Rebuild Hope project, Bryan's Home, along U.S. Highway 101 in North Bend last night may have noticed light illuminating from the windows.

The project at Bryan's Home, a building where the group Operation Rebuild Hope is working to build a place for homeless veterans to stay, was able to bring electricity to the property Monday.

"Initially I was just going to plug the lights in and have it here for the contractors to do their thing with, but one night I was driving past and saw it in the dark and thought, 'that house has sat in the dark for more than 20 years,' so when we do restore light to it we should share it with the community," Patrick Wright, with Operation Rebuild Hope said.

There is now a sign out in front of Bryan's Home looking for folks in the homeless community, who also happen to be veterans, to apply for housing. Pumping electricity in the building is a positive step toward providing homeless veterans in the area with a place to help them find and maintain a home.

"Restoring the life is kind of like restoring life to this building. Where light exists, darkness can't, so it also is like restoring that light and hope within veterans," Wright said.

Many of the volunteers who work with Operation Rebuild Hope are veterans, who are now helping their brothers and sisters from the military find their way back into civilian life.

Operation Rebuild Hope's plan is to have all the work done on the property by June. Wright said that they hope to accommodate 16 people at any given time with Bryan's Home. Two tiny homes that will house two people each will be built in the back yard, while the main house will house both disabled homeless veterans, and homeless veteran families.

"Summertime this year is our plan to have residents here. As early as June, and as late as September," Wright said.

Nicholas A. Johnson can be reached at 541-266-6049, or by email at nicholas.johnson@theworldlink.com.

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