Former Marine Armory Could Become Center For Homeless Vets

The Executive Director of the Yakima Housing Authority says he's hoping the federal government will allow the authority to take over the former Marine Armory Center on Tahoma Avenue to turn it into a center to help homeless veterans. Lowell Krueger says they just want to help those who've given to this country. "And part of that help would certainly be to be able to provide services in one location that aren't spread throughout the city and also be able to get people retrained to enter the workforce."
Krueger says they'll ask the Yakima City Council to lend city support to a request to the federal government to in essence give the property to the Authority for one dollar a month through a federal process.
Krueger, who's father is a Vietnam veteran says the General Services Administration is in the process of declaring the property "surplus" which will start a process for accepting community proposals to re-use the property. And he says the highest priority will be given to proposals that provide services for homeless veterans.  The council meets at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday at Yakima City Hall.