Taking a community-based approach, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs developed housing across the state for veterans within, or close to, the communities they already know and call home: Bemidji in the north; Montevideo in the west; and Preston to the southeast.

The design team developed themes for each community to celebrate its surrounding topography: Preston became The House on the Hill; Montevideo was The House on the Prairie; and Bemidji was the House in the Woods. Those themes inspired the design of the buildings and reflect the culture and aesthetic of each community.

At Bemidji and Montevideo, 72 residents are divided into four households, while at Preston, 54 residents are split between three households. Each household is organized to follow the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ Small House Model Design Guide. The households contain 18 private rooms, each with their own bathroom, and are paired together as neighborhoods sharing a resident courtyard. The flexible, universal design can accommodate long-term care, memory care, and rehabilitation.

A town center at each site provides amenity spaces for residents to gather and creates opportunities to welcome the greater community. They include an entry gallery, multipurpose room, café, theatre, therapy space, a barbershop/salon, mediation room, library, lounges, and an administrative suite. At Montevideo, the design also includes a 4,500 sf community building and park for residents, local students, and community members to socialize and attend events.

The homes quickly sold out once they opened in January, 2024, and a Minnesota news cast said at the time that hundreds had already been placed on waiting lists.