Military wife leading charge to help homeless vets through RV donations

Not long ago, Vietnam War Navy veteran Terry Glinnon lived in a hotel room above the White Horse Saloon.

He also previously lived in a broken-down car and couch surfed at a friend's house, but those situations were not permanent or sustainable.

Glinnon, 75, had his struggles with the law and substances through the years. He has vision and hearing impairments and is a widower after losing his wife of 45 years about 10 years ago. He is now living in a donated RV at a small RV park in Spirit Lake. He's off the streets in a warm space and has found housing and support through the North Idaho Veterans Village.

"This is the best thing that’s come along," Glinnon said Tuesday.

The North Idaho Veterans Village is a newly formed nonprofit that inspires change through small acts that make significant impacts. Founder and CEO Amanda Yount created the organization to help veterans and military families facing homelessness by collecting donated RVs and converting them into living spaces for those in need. 

She and her husband, Josh, bought 6 acres in Blanchard with a vision to build the village, but those plans were nixed by health and safety officials because the land is too close to a water source.

“Now we’re building a house on it,” Amanda said, “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.” 

Six RVs and trailers are occupied or awaiting conversion into homes.

“These are all donated to us,” Amanda said. “We bring them in, we fix them up, we place them. They live in it for free, 100%. It’s their responsibility to pay for the propane, their trash.”

Donors receive tax receipts for their gifts.

Ceci and Frank Stotz of Coeur d'Alene donated their 2010 Jayco pull-behind trailer, valued at around $5,000, to the North Idaho Veterans Village as their family's annual Christmas tradition of adopting a charity.

"We thought about selling it, but then we thought, ‘Let's do something different,'" Ceci said.

The Stotz family contacted the veteran resource nonprofit Newby-Ginnings of North Idaho to inquire about a use for the trailer and were directed to Amanda and the North Idaho Veterans Village.

“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."

With how much America's veterans have sacrificed, Ceci said giving back in this way was the right thing to do.

"I wish more people would do that, especially with the amount of money that’s coming into our community," she said.

Ceci said she and her family are also appreciative of Amanda's passion to help homeless veterans.

“She's a young mother, a young person coming out and trying to support people that 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.” 

Amanda said the village has raised about $10,000, not including donated RVs. She said the goal is to buy at least an acre of property in Bonner County to build a village of 10-15 RVs that will serve unhoused veterans in the Inland Northwest. Amanda is working with area mobile home parks to place the donated RVs and request discounted rates for veterans until securing property for the village.

Fundraisers are in the planning stages, and Amanda is connecting with veterans’ affairs entities worldwide to drum up support for the cause.

"We're working on it," she said.

To qualify for support from the North Idaho Veterans Village, a veteran must have his or her Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, also known as the DD Form 214.

“That’s how we uphold our nonprofit status with the state,” Amanda said.

Applicants are asked about their living situations or lack thereof and must agree to a background check.

“Truly, it’s word of mouth right now,” Amanda said. 

She said area veteran service organizations have shared recommendations with her.

“They’re sending me every person they can think of,” she said.

Amanda is an Army daughter and sister, the wife of a Marine and the granddaughter of a Navy veteran who trained at Farragut Naval Training Station in Bayview. She has been in health care for over 12 years and previously worked at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Post Falls, a 64-bed skilled nursing facility.

She talked to many veterans who didn’t qualify for housing at the veterans' home, "and it broke my heart," she said.

"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,'" Amanda said.

According to the Point in Time Count on idahohousing.com, nearly 2,700 people were experiencing homelessness across Idaho in January 2025. Of those counted, 134 (6%) were veterans.

Those interested in donating or learning about the application process can visit northidahoveteransvillage.org or email [email protected] to connect with Amanda.

    Amanda Yount, 33, of Blanchard, is the CEO and founder of the North Idaho Veterans Village nonprofit. She's at a small RV park in Spirit Lake on Tuesday, where one of the first veterans supported by her nonprofit lives in a donated RV.
  

    Vietnam veteran Terry Glinnon, 75, discusses his journey from the Navy to North Idaho after turning on the propane heat Tuesday in the donated RV he now calls home, thanks to the North Idaho Veterans Village.
  

    North Idaho Veterans Village founder and CEO Amanda Yount gives Navy veteran Terry Glinnon a hug Tuesday in his new living space in a donated RV in Spirit Lake.