Belay my last barracks

In July of 2020 we purchased the former South Boardman Elementary School and are now bringing it back to life as Belay My Last Barracks. The Barracks will not only serve as transitional housing and a community outreach center for veterans and their families, but as a place for new beginnings.

It takes many hands and it is our hope to build this mission with community members and together give back to and support our veterans.

About the Name

“Belay My Last” is a term used in the military which means to cancel the request or command last given, or simply stop what you were doing and stand by for new orders.

For veterans that may be thinking about going down the path of despair or already in a rut, we want them to Belay My Last—Belay Their Last, and get ahold of us, or get a hold of someone in the veteran community they can reach out to and talk to. We want them to give up that thought of giving up, we want them to just stop and start over, find a new direction to go in.

Current Focus

Currently we are focused on getting the Barracks up and running so that we can engage with veterans, their families, and the community. Our hope is to have events, meals training, and activities occurring on a regular basis. Building relationships and community is one aspect of supporting each other through a transitional time. Creating space for veterans to enjoy community together is an important building block. As we get the building active, we will be working on the process of learning about the many requirements for converting classrooms to apartments and the needed permits, inspections, safety code requirements needed in order to develop our plan for moving ahead.

After meeting to inspect the building and share ideas on how best to transform the building, we decided to create a duplex allowing two veterans or veteran families to utilize the space created. We are in the beginning stages, but we are very excited to be moving forward.

Current Programs

We are continuing to expand the programs offered to our veterans across Northern Michigan. Just as life and the struggles we may come across are ever-changing, so too is the objective of the Barracks - the programs we develop are driven by what the veteran community would like to see, because there is no one answer to solve life’s problems.

Keep up to date with upcoming events via social media, our events calendar, or by emailing us.