Terry Glinnon found himself struggling after his wife of 45 years died almost 10 years ago.
Glinnon, 75, is a Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War. After he left the military, he battled drug addiction and run-ins with law enforcement for many years. Lacking permanent housing, he split time sleeping in his broken-down vehicle or on a friend’s sofa. For some time, he rented a hotel room above the White Horse Saloon in Spirit Lake, Idaho.
But as age crept in with vision and hearing impairments affecting his health, Glinnon knew he had to find more sustainable housing.
That’s when a military wife stepped up to help.
Amanda Yount, 33, is the founder and CEO of the North Idaho Veterans Village, a nonprofit that formed recently to address the homelessness crisis among veterans. Yount’s organization receives donated RVs, fixes them up, and provides them to veterans at no cost. Veterans only have to pay for propane and trash pickup, according to Yount.
Glinnon became one of the first veterans to receive a donated RV, living in a small RV park in Spirit Lake. Glinnon told the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press that he’s happy to finally be off the streets, living in a warm, safe home.
“This is the best thing that’s come along,” Glinnon said last week.
Donations Lead to Big Impact
The North Idaho Veterans Village, which also provides RV homes to military families in need, believes that small gestures of kindness can have lasting effects.
Yount and her husband, Josh, purchased six acres in Blanchard, Idaho, with plans to construct the RV village there. The couple was forced to pivot, however, when local health and safety officials deemed the property too close to a water source.
“Now we’re building a house on it,” Yount told the Press. “And that’s the property that we’re using to bring all of the RVs to; we get them fixed up, and then we ship them out to veterans.”
The Younts currently have six RVs and trailers either occupied by veterans or being converted into homes.
“These are all donated to us,” Yount said. “We bring them in, we fix them up, we place them. They live in it for free, 100%.”
Donors can receive tax receipts for their donated RVs and trailers.
The Right Thing to Do
Every year around Christmas, Coeur d’Alene residents Frank and Ceci Stotz donate to a local charity. This holiday season, they decided to give their 2010 Jayco pull-behind trailer, worth about $5,000, to the organization.
“We thought about selling it, but then we thought, ‘Let's do something different,’” Ceci said.
Like helping local veterans.
The couple called Newby-Ginnings of North Idaho, a veteran resource program, to ask about ways the trailer could be used for veterans. Newby-Ginnings told them about the North Idaho Veterans Village, and the Stotzs were soon on the phone with Amanda Yount.
“We do have a heart for veterans, absolutely," Ceci said. “Our son-in-law, Adam Vindasius, is a Purple Heart veteran. He did two tours in Iraq.”
Veterans and military families sacrifice a great deal, so providing a roof over their heads when they need it is a small way of giving back for the Stotz family.
“I wish more people would do that, especially with the amount of money that’s coming into our community,” Ceci said.
She admires Amanda Yount’s passion to provide housing for veterans.
“She’s a young mother, a young person coming out and trying to support people who need the help,” Ceci said. “It’s such an inspiration to see the young generation helping each other or helping others. It’s so inspiring to me.”
Hoping to Expand
Yount said, minus donated RVs, her organization has raised almost $10,000 in donations. Going forward, she has visions of purchasing an acre of land in Bonner County to construct a village to fit 10-15 RVs comfortably to house veterans in Idaho’s Inland Northwest. Yount has been working with local mobile home parks to find space for the RVs and offer discounted rates for veterans as the organization continues to look for land for the permanent village.
The North Idaho Veterans Village is setting up fundraising events, and Yount is reaching out to Veterans Affairs programs to spread awareness of the organization.
To become eligible for housing, veterans must have their DD214 form, showing proper discharge from active duty.
“That’s how we uphold our nonprofit status with the state,” Yount said.
Veterans applying for the program must list their current living situation and must be OK with a background check.
Yount said interest in the housing initiative is spreading through mostly word of mouth. Veterans’ organizations in Northern Idaho have also chipped in to share recommendations.
“They’re sending me every person they can think of,” Yount said
Yount carries a soft spot for the military. Close family members served in the Army and Navy, and she’s married to a Marine. Yount has worked in health care for more than 12 years, having spent time at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Post Falls. It was there, in the home’s 64-bed nursing unit, that Yount heard stories from veterans who couldn’t qualify for housing at the veterans’ facility.
“It broke my heart,” she said.
But the heartache drove her to action.
“I woke up one day and said to my husband, Josh, ‘We have to fill this gap, because if we don’t, nobody else is going to,’” Yount said.
In the latest Point in Time Count from January 2025, almost 2,700 people were considered homeless in Idaho. From that count, 134 were veterans, although the number is likely higher.
More information can be found at northidahoveteransvillage.org or by emailing Yount at northidahoveteransvillage@gmail.com.
