LOGAN – Michael Fortune of Providence met with Governor Spencer Cox and other state officials concerning his USA Project Valor Homes for Utah Veterans last week. Besides Governor Cox, Steve Waldrip, Senior Advisor for Housing Strategy and Innovation, was there, as was Maj. Gen. Daniel Boyack, Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard, to discuss Fortune’s Boxabl Company housing units. Fortune wants the homes to house Utah’s homeless veterans.
The first Project Valor home built for unhoused veterans finishedin the the Fall of 2025.
“The state gave us two pieces of property in southern Utah, and they pledged a million dollars to help get things going,” Fortune said. “The most expensive part of the project is the land.”
He said they have been working with representatives from the Governor’s office to find property that could be used for putting the tiny homes on.
Boxabl Company CEO Paulo Tiramanin and other company officials were there and offered $1million to help with the project.
“Our first house was built in Nibley in 2025, and we have expanded from there to build eight other houses,” he said. “We had a bunch of sponsors that helped the first home be successful.”
“This is the direction we wanted to go working with the state to help veterans that are struggling with housing,” he said. The biggest struggle was getting the property. Land can be very expensive so with the state helping us it became a great opportunity for us to expand in other states.”
Fortune has talked with other states and a couple of other cities about what they are doing to house homeless veterans.
“We hope to build 12 homes on each of two locations in southern Utah,” he said. “Each home costs about $100,000 to build from the foundation up.”
Boxabl Company is based out of Las Vegas and Fortune said from the time the house arrives it takes only four hours to set up.
It comes with appliances and furniture and is ready to move into.
“It’s a solid built house and they are easy and flexible to set up,” he said. “We have worked with Boxabl Homes for over a year and they are really good to work with.”
“My wife Kathleen and I have been working with Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli to make this happen,” Fortune said. “US Valor has built six of these homes across the state.”
Fortune said he has been in contact with the Rocky Mountain Veterans Center and the Veterans Fellowship in Ogden to see what they can do to help.
“Our focus is on the housing part of helping veterans,” he said. “There are other organizations helping with other needs veterans have.”
Fortune is hoping they can get some funding to cover a week or two of the housing cost until they can come up with a more permanent solution.
“I have put them up in a hotel, but we are running out of funds,” he said. “The government shutdown is making things difficult.”
USA Project Valor has a website that will accept donations. The website is usaprojectvalor.org and they have a button on their website where people can donate. The site lets people know they are a legitimate 501(c)(3).