Veterans Village remains as ‘quasi-demolition zone’ after December arson

The troubles at a 47-unit affordable-housing complex serving veterans began with a nuisance tenant and peaked in late December when two women broke into the complex and one of them set a small trash can full of clothes on fire in front of his unit.

As the suspects fled, sprinklers went off throughout the Frankford building. The fire was quickly contained but not before gallons of water poured through the building, causing extensive damage.

Months later, residents continue to live with the fallout of the traumatic arson incident as the nonprofit behind the building navigates the slow insurance process and seeks philanthropic help to make repairs.

“The hallways are still in a renovation state where there’s some rugs torn up,” said U.S. Navy veteran Rubin Rios, 68. “Every floor has repair needs.”

Veterans Village is a $6.5 million complex that opened in 2023. It serves veterans who have experienced housing insecurity, need affordable housing, and live with PTSD or other health issues.

On rare occasion, a tenant will struggle to adjust to the community — the target of the arson incident was evicted in February after a yearlong legal battle. Still, much of the appeal of Veterans Village lies in the camaraderie among residents, said Rios, who was quick to host one of his neighbors for a night as loud dehumidifiers ran in his apartment after it was drenched in water that December afternoon.

Building management said the sprinkler system worked as designed by going off across the building. But by the time firefighters shut off the system, which only they can do, approximately 23 units of the building, common areas, and hallways sustained water damage.

Dana Spain, founder of the nonprofit behind Veterans Village, said water-remediation workers had to act quickly to prevent mold. Workers had to cut out baseboards and flooring, and some tenants have “big square pieces missing from their drywall.”

“So people are living in, unfortunately, in sort of a quasi-demolition zone,” Spain said.

» READ MORE: Veterans Village offers affordable apartments and a sense of community to military families in Philly

Spain is eager to begin renovations and is asking for support from philanthropists and volunteers. The Veterans Villages nonprofit has been working with insurers to assess the extent of the damage. Spain said the two bids submitted by general contractors exceeded the cost estimate provided by insurers. She expects that the nonprofit will be on the hook for at least $25,000.

Spain hopes that Good Samaritans can help close the gap by donating either money or materials.

“All of our paint is Sherwin-Williams,” Spain said. “So if somebody said, ‘We own a Sherwin-Williams franchise, we’ll give you $1,000 worth of paint and supplies,’ whatever that might be, that would be helpful.”

Spain said though residents aren’t uncomfortable, the trauma of the incident itself and delays in repairs prompted at least three veterans to move out and prospective residents to withdraw their applications. The Philadelphia Housing Authority won’t give the green light to the now-available units until the holes in the drywall are fixed, Spain said.

Rios said the immediate weeks after the fire were the most taxing for residents. He took in, overnight, one of his neighbors who returned to soaked floors and a closet full of wet clothes.

In the days after, residents had to run dehumidifiers in their apartments and Rios said they were surprised to see how much energy they had used when electric bills came — many residents are low-income and had to seek financial assistance.

Then there was the resentment that tenants felt toward the neighbor who was the target of the arson incident and whom the nonprofit had been trying to evict for close to a year for violating his lease.

But Rios said it feels like the building is “on the other side of the stress.”

The targeted tenant was finally evicted and banned from the building in February. Veterans Villages — the nonprofit’s name is plural, though the complex’s name is singular — added full-time security guards.

The suspect who set the fire in a trash can remains in custody at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center. She faces charges including criminal trespassing, arson, and making terroristic threats.

Meanwhile, Veterans Villages plans to begin repairs once it can choose from three competitive bids.

Though Rios laments having to go through the stress of the fire evacuation and dealing with the subsequent damage, he hopes the tenants can come out better for it.

“Most of us are single folks, a couple of ladies veterans as well, looking for a place to be safe and comfortable,” he said. “We obviously want a place where we could be OK with fellow comrades. Unfortunately, sometimes you need a purge to get things a little better.”