TAMPA, Fla. — Mathis McGriff, 64, joined the Navy in 1976 and recalls travelling the world.
"Mostly Europe, Spain, Portugal, Africa, France," he named the places he was deployed to.
The Sulphur Springs native fell on hard times and now lives in a shelter for men in East Tampa.
"Better than living on the streets or a sidewalk," he said.
Mathis is also blind in one eye.
"I've got glaucoma and it's been going on for about 5 to 6 years now," said McGriff.
His sight is getting worse, making his need for permanent housing more urgent.
"You go to different places and you start running into a wall and you don't know where you are going," he said.
He's on a wait list for the Manifestations Tiny Home Village for Veterans.
The $500,000 project is the brainchild of Dr. Mark Jones Sr. the founder of Manifestations Worldwide Inc.
The city of Tampa approved rezoning for this property of East Lake Avenue to pave the way for 10 tiny homes.
Once built, rent for these tiny homes would be around $900.
There have been delays in the building process, though because of the same supply chain issues we've all been dealing with.
Dr. Jones says the demand for affordable housing should inspire other organizations to consider this model.
"We don't need to profit from these kinds of projects," he said. "We just need growth to pay for itself. We just need housing projects affordable so we can take care of the needs and also create wrap around services particularly for our veterans."