Santa Maria Air Force veteran gets tiny home in hopes to help house other vets

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A local veteran who once found herself nearly homeless was given a tiny home on Saturday. She plans to use the home to help other veterans in need.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held and the keys were passed on to Sandy Blair.

“I'm chasing this dream and it's here,” said Blair.

It was a long road for Blair after she left the Air Force. She returned to civilian life unable to adjust and eventually ending up homeless.

“I think about that female that is out there and she can't find her footing,” Blair said.

The painful experience spoke to her heart and now she plans to give back to others. Nonprofit organization Operation Tiny Home teamed up with Blair to make her dreams come true.

“Through their support I was able to create Operation WEBS,” said Blair.

Operation WEBS is a nonprofit that will also provide tiny housing for female veterans.

“Our mission is to provide them with and opportunity to live a life with dignity. And we do that by providing tiny house solutions and empowerment training programs,” said the founder of Operation Tiny Home Gabrielle Rapport.

Blair plans to lend her new tiny home to other female veterans who have lost their way.

She and her sister purchased land and plan to build an entire community that will help female vets get housing and other resources they are in need of.

“I just want my sisters out there who are struggling to know that they are not alone,” said an emotional Blair.

Operation Tiny Home helped Blair get her tiny home built by other local vets through their program Building a Better Future for Veterans.

“What we do is we teach carpentry and construction skills and while we are teaching those skills, they are building a home that is going to support a female veteran here in their community,” said Rapport.

The project was funded by corporate donors like Wells Fargo and Home Depot.

Operation Tiny Home's reach does not only extend to veterans, but also to others struggling with housing instability.

“We work with Native Americans, we also support disaster relief,” said Rapport.

“Their are people who have gone through it and are still going through it and we are here for them,” said Blair.

Blair hopes to have her tiny home community in SB county up and running soon. She says it will be a place for female vets to come home to.