The Student Veteran Organization (SVO) is currently working on a transition house for any student who is a veteran and may not have a place to stay while attending school.

The house, located on Foundation Street, was anonymously donated in 2014 with the purpose of being a transition house, SVO fundraising chairman Mathus Williams said.

“We had a veteran one time who was living out of his van,” SVO vice president Levi Murphy said. “He was homeless and this is kind of to prevent or help with that kind of situation.”

The rent will be low for veterans who live in the house and it is a walkable distance from the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, according to Murphy.

“It helps them to give them a home,” Williams said. “A place of comfort, safety where they can really sit down and focus on bettering themselves and learning new job skills and future their education and just making themselves an all out better person.”

The house was built around 1960 and has four bedrooms and three stories with a basement. The house was gutted and is now in the rebuilding stage.

“We’ve thrown everything out,” Murphy said. “You can walk in the front door and look to the end of the wall and see through all the walls. Drywalls, everything is ripped out.”

Due to scheduling, SVO does not have many work days. They also try to schedule the work days during warm weather.

“It’s hard to schedule work days,” Murphy said. “It’s like two or three times a semester at best.”

They hope to have the house done in the next two years.

“It’s a big project for a tiny little organization such as our so we definitely need help,” Murphy said.

In the past, Teen Challenge and United Way have been at work days to help.

Earlier in April, they had a work day on the house to clean up what was left over from the demolition stage. They hope to have an electrician and plumber in the house soon.

“One step at a time,” SVO president Cole Schreiner said.

Anyone looking to get involved can stop by or call the SVO office, which is located in University Center on the third floor. To donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/svohouse.