Canandaigua, N.Y. — A $10 million housing project underway would provide housing for homeless and at-risk veterans and their families on the campus of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. At a public forum tonight at the VA, 400 Fort Hill Ave, the private partners in the project called Cadence Square, presented preliminary plans that involve renovating the VA’s vacant Building 14 and building a new, adjacent building.

Working with the VA are Ontario County-based Finger Lakes Addictions Counseling and Referral Agency (FLACRA) and Christa Construction; and Buffalo-based Cazenovia Recovery Systems and FFAE Architects.

The housing would provide a mix of support services. For veterans living there temporarily, FLACRA would provide staffing and programs to include various types of therapy, counseling and other help. The renovated Building 14 could house close to 30 veterans; the addition would likely have 12 apartments, with each having anywhere from one to three bedrooms to provide permanent housing for veterans and their families.

Suzanne Bissonette, executive director for Cazenovia Recovery Systems, said state and federal funds, as well as private investment, is needed to pay for the renovation and new construction. An expected time table to get Cadence Square up and running is anywhere from 18 months to three years, she said.