After a two-year denial of approval for veteran housing in Collier County, Wounded Warriors of Collier County (WWCC) won a federal lawsuit against the City of Naples.

Earlier this summer, WWCC filed an official lawsuit against the City of Naples for not providing reasonable accommodations under the Fair Housing Act to allow more than four (4) veterans to live together in a group transitional home through programming with Wounded Warriors of Collier County.

Current Collier County residential zoning regulations only allow four (4) unrelated persons, to live in one home at a time. The current Alpha House within the Warriors Home Initiative has a capacity to provide services for up to eight (8) veterans simultaneously, meaning there were unused beds and services not being used for the greater benefit of the community. Thanks to the efforts of many, more local veterans will be able to be served.   

“Today the city has acknowledged and affirmed the right of these disabled veterans to housing of their choosing, particularly after having served their country with honor in the post-9/11 battlefields,” said Jeffery Lynne, ESQ, CHC at Beighley, Myrick, Udell + Lynne. 

“As we approach the 20th anniversary of that fateful day, we anticipate that this recognition by the City of Naples will now allow Wounded Warriors of Collier County to continue in their mission of serving these heroes by providing them with suitable housing and support to allow them to build their own lives back, together with their military brothers.”

The courts declared that the City of Naples must provide WWCC with a reasonable accommodation under FHAA and ADA, allowing up to seven (7) unrelated persons to reside within the Alpha House. The Alpha House will now be classified as a single-family residence under the City’s applicable codes.

“We are thrilled that we can now move forward with providing additional much-needed housing and resources to our local veterans,” stated WWCC President, Dale Mullin.

“Our goal is to make sure that no veteran is left behind and increasing our capacity at the Alpha House is one great step in that direction.”

For more information about the WWCC’s capital campaign for veteran housing, please visit here to learn about the Warrior Homes Initiative.

About WWCC

The vision of Wounded Warriors of Collier County is to see that “No Veteran is Left Behind”. What began as simply a vision to support the Veterans of Collier County through facilitating communication and assisting in partnering local Veterans with needed resources, Wounded Warriors of Collier County has thrived.

Through collaboration with our local partners, we have now served over 70 local Veterans this year as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary. Wounded Warriors of Collier County is a 100% volunteer-run organization led by the founder and CEO, Dale Mullin, who is a Veteran.  A gift of any size to Wounded Warriors of Collier County’s operating budget will help them achieve their mission of supporting local Veterans.

For more information, visit www.wwcollier.org,  or call 239-302-1800.