Several of the first 12 families approved to move into the veterans housing project that’s being built on Centre Pointe Parkway next to Bowman High School took part in a formal groundbreaking ceremony Saturday.

The 87-home community is a project of the Santa Clarita Valley-San Fernando Valley branch of Habitat for Humanity, in conjunction with the California Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s envisioned as an “enriched neighborhood” with affordable housing and back-to-the-workforce help for returning veterans and their families.

Saturday’s ceremony, emceed by local attorney and Habitat board member Hunt Braly, included an announcement of streets to be named for volunteers and partners who spearheaded the project from the concept phase through the beginning of actual construction.

One street is to be named for each of the following:

* Richard Doss, chairman, Habitat for Humanity SFV-SCV;

* Developer Jack Shine, vice chairman, Habitat for Humanity SFV-SCV;

* Doreen Shine, SCV Advisory Board Member;

* KHTS AM-1220 owners Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti-Goldman, co-chairs of the SCV Advisory Board (Carl also serves on the Habitat SFV-SCV board);

* Mike Mizrahi of SoCal Gas, co-chair, SCV Advisory Board;

* Peter Gravett, secretary, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) and a 40-year veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard.

Also, a street is to be named for the late Harry Bell (1923-2012), a veteran of the Army Air Corps during World War II who was recognized as the Santa Clarita Valley’s 2011 Man of the Year for his lifetime of service to the community. Present on his behalf at Saturday’s ceremony were his daughter, Janet Austin; Jim Lentini of the Elks Lodge; and his former business partner Ed Bolden representing the Newhall Rotary Club.

Watch for the full ceremony to be televised on SCVTV, and find more photos on SCVTV.com.