A former hotel on Riverdale Bend Road in Southeast Memphis is now permanent housing for more than 100 veterans, thanks to a conversion project from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Darien Goods, a U.S. Army veteran who experienced homelessness after leaving the service in 2022, is one of the new residents. “Once you’re in survival mode, it’s hard to think about anything else,” Goods said.
The West Memphis native now has his own studio apartment with a full fridge, stovetop, and laundry access. “Coming from living in your car, or going couch to couch, you need that stability,” he said. “You need to have that stable foundation to build from.” Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee attended the unveiling, calling it “a rewarding thing to see.”
Gavin Naples, executive vice president of the foundation, emphasized that the housing is permanent, not transitional, and that residents never pay more than the local affordable-housing maximum. The project is fully donor-funded, and the foundation says it has now helped more than 20,000 veterans as part of its national goal of building 100 “Veterans Villages.” Veterans interested in applying can do so through the foundation’s website.
