McDermott House

The McDermott House is an innovative new housing cooperative in Washington, DC which houses as many as 27 formerly homeless veterans making the transition to self-sufficiency.  The veterans are enrolled in VA's Compensated Work Therapy Program at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Washington, DC.

The McDermott House is the model for the nation and the first of its kind in the Washington, DC area.  McDermott House is a joint project of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the District of Columbia Housing Authority and the Chesapeake Health Education Program (CHEP), a non-profit organization.  Through a memorandum of agreement signed by Sanford Garfunkel, Director of the VAMC and David Gilmore, Receiver for the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), both agencies agreed to work together to provide safe and secure housing for veterans who are making the transition from homelessness to independent living.

DCHA has leased the apartment building to CHEP for $1.00 per year.  CHEP manages the building and provides around-the-clock staffing and VA provides case management services to the veterans living in the John McDermott House.

John views the naming of McDermott House, in tribute to his tireless work on behalf of veterans, as one of the greatest honors of his career.

Mcdermott House Fund

John McDermott has established the McDermott House Fund, exclusively through his fan club, which will collect tax deductible donations for the McDermott House.  These donations will be used to support the work of the McDermott House by purchasing equipment that is needed. Periodically, we will tally the donations and post on the web the amount of money that John McDermott fans have raised to support this important cause.