VCP of Sioux Falls Executive Director John Holter to retire at end of 2025

After two years of building Veterans Community Project of Sioux Falls, Executive Director John Holter has announced that he will retire at the end of 2025.

Holter, a retired Colonel who served 30 years in the United States Army and Army National Guard, came out retirement to take on the leadership role at VCP. At the time, he told Pigeon605 in regard to helping fix Veteran homelessness that, “This is not a job for me... this is a mission.”

And a mission it has been. When Holter joined VCP of Sioux Falls in January 2024, the Village consisted of five tiny homes with two Veteran residents and a construction trailer for staff. By the time he departs in January 2026, the site will have grown to 15 occupied tiny homes, a fully operational Village Center building, and a clear path to complete all 25 homes in 2026.

“Veteran homelessness is a complex problem,” Holter said. “But at VCP, we have a model that is effective, a talented team and, now, we have recaptured forward momentum because of this incredible Sioux Falls community.”

He continued, “I have taken to describing my time at VCP as ‘hard fun.’ This work is challenging—but it is also incredibly rewarding.”

Holter recalled moments that made the challenges worth it. Like the team recently running into a former resident at the grocery store and having a heartfelt conversation about a sobriety milestone about which the Veteran told them, “There is no way I would have made it this far without VCP.”

He is also grateful for the power of community that stood alongside him to drive the mission forward. Like the 2,360 hours that local volunteers spent serving Veterans last year. Or the words that U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson told him on a recent tour of the Village: “We as a community need to invest in things that work—and this works.”

Holter said the Veterans served, the VCP team, and the mission will never be far from his heart. And until he departs in January 2026, he will remain an active leader and support the search for his successor, as well as become a volunteer in the future.

Looking ahead personally, Holter is also excited to spend more time with his family and resume the goal he and his wife set—the first time he retired—to visit all 63 national parks across the United States. On that front, he said with a laugh that, “I told my wife on a Monday that I was retiring... she had a trip booked by Tuesday.”

Sioux Falls, however, will remain home. South Dakota is where he spent most of his military career, which included a wide range of roles such as Battery, Battalion and Regimental Commands.

Holter speaks about that military service with the same pride that he reflects on the past two years serving Veterans as a civilian leader. In VCP of Sioux Falls, he leaves a legacy of growth and impact.

“This organization has a unique culture,” he said. “It feels like I have been a part of it forever, and it will remain a part of me. This mission will keep moving forward. Because together, Sioux Falls, you are fixing Veteran homelessness.”

Lastly, but most importantly, Holter left a message for the nine current Veteran residents transforming their lives in tiny homes at VCP Village and the countless others who will start that same journey inside 240 square feet of dignity in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

“This program works, if you work it,” he told them. “Keep up the fight.”