Wounded Warriors of Collier County turns to federal judge to allow them to help more homeless vets

Reporter: Rachel Cox-Rosen Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
alpha house

The Wounded Warrior Project of Collier County is fighting to make sure even more of those who’ve served can get back on their feet. They are turning to a federal judge to rally for more people to live in their Alpha House.

In Collier County, the Wounded Warrior Project helps veterans get back on their feet by providing them with resources and a place to live. But Naples City Council has limited the number of people who can live at the Alpha House.

President of Wounded Warriors Collier County, Dale Mullin, is going to fight for as long as they can. “We would fight as long as we had an ability to resist,” said Mullin.

They want to allow more homeless veterans to live at Alpha House. “That’s the most frustrating thing is we have beds here. We have four open beds right now that we could bring homeless veterans in,” Mullin said.

In September, the Naples City Council denied Wounded Warriors’ request to house more veterans. But Mullin wants to fight that decision in federal court.

He claims that they’re being discriminated against under the Fair Housing Act. Since they function as a family, the city should not be allowed to limit the number of people living at Alpha House.

Ben Walker lives at Alpha House “More people here at the house would be a blessing,” said Walker.

NAACP Collier County President Vincent Keeys says that many of the people who live in River Park East where, Alpha House is located, don’t want the home to expand. “To double the number, would be moving in the wrong direction,” said Keeys.

The City of Naples released a statement saying in part, “The City is disappointed that any organization would resort to lawsuits after such accommodations were made.”

Mullins says he doesn’t want to resort to a lawsuit but he’ll do what is necessary for the soldier sif a truce cannot be reached.

“Well I hope we reach a compromise,” said Mullin.

Wounded Warriors of Collier county expects to take the case to federal court in the next few months.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.