Joe Millsap, the Communications Director at the Santa Rosa-based nonprofit Nation’s Finest, recently invited me for a tour of a site currently under construction in Windsor, CA. The name of the project is Windsor Veterans Village (WVV), and it’s one of several sites Nation’s Finest is building in Northern California to provide transitional and permanent supportive housing for low-income and disabled veterans and their families. Upon completion, WVV will have 59 one- and two-bedroom apartments where veterans who qualify can reside permanently while receiving case management and other onsite services. 

Upon completion, WVV will have 59 one- and two-bedroom apartments where veterans who qualify can reside permanently while receiving case management and other onsite services.

When selecting a location for a new housing development, the staff at Nation’s Finest first make sure there’s a VA clinic within a reasonable driving distance and opportunities for integrating the veterans into the local community. The state-of-the-art WVV campus, which is located within walking distance of the Windsor Town Green and just four miles from the regional VA clinic, will feature a community center, laundry facilities, a kitchen, a computer room, a garden and walking trail, basketball and Pétanque courts, and covered parking.

Craig works tirelessly to keep the jobsite on schedule. He says the morale of everyone involved – from the tradesmen to the surrounding neighbors – is high…

Craig Jezycki is the senior project manager at WVV. He took Joe and me around the site and gave us insight into how the project is going in these final months as they prepare for a grand opening in August. Blood, sweat, and tears is a term that any veteran can identify with, and I think it is applicable to how the project has developed thus far (positively speaking). Craig works tirelessly to keep the jobsite on schedule. He says the morale of everyone involved – from the tradesmen to the surrounding neighbors – is high because they all know the property is going to provide an affordable, sustainable home and a sense of community for so many veterans, for so many years. 

I have been working with Joe since the spring/summer of 2020. The CEO of Nation’s Finest had seen some of my work in Santa Cruz, and Joe contacted me and explained that they were in the process of rebranding from Veterans Resource Centers of America to Nation’s Finest. They were planning to launch the Nation’s Finest brand over the summer, and they were looking for a photographer to help them showcase the work they do. I jumped at the opportunity. I had been focusing on how best to orient myself as a photographer and knew that one area I wanted to work in was supporting non-profit organizations or social/humanitarian causes.

The pandemic, wildfires, and the general chaos of the last year has made for slow progress in being able to really get started photographing and sharing the story of this organization, but what I am working on is simple: I am going to be sharing the stories of veterans who are getting the help they need, and documenting the growth of Nation’s Finest through an intimate look at how they navigate the ups and downs and general uncertainty of the nonprofit world while continuing  to thrive and help those who need it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.

J. William Kraintz II

For more information about Nations Finest please click the button below.

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