Habitat for Humanity-Veterans Build Fund

Specific Need

We are raising funds to support our Veterans Build program. Veterans Build is a program that supports volunteer, employment and homeownership opportunities for Veterans and military families in our service area.

Mission

Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity builds homes, community and hope.

Profile

The National Low Income Housing Coalition finds that 2.5 million veterans heading households are at least 55 years of age. Of those 2.5 million veterans, 24% have housing cost burdens. Unlike our older civilians, our older veterans are more likely to have a disability — 35% versus 28% — which may require home modifications, health and other supportive services as they age.

Our female veteran population is in need as well. According to a report by the National Housing Conference, nearly half of our veterans who are single mothers spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Our female veterans face significant economic and housing challenges and are particularly vulnerable to housing cost burdens compared with our overall veteran population.

Likewise, our most recent veterans who served following 9/11 have returned to a slow-growing economy and rising housing costs. These economic factors have made the transition from military service to civilian life difficult for many of our veterans.

In addition, nearly 4 million of our veterans pay at least 30% of their income toward rent or mortgage, while more than 1.5 million pay at least 50%. As you can imagine, using half of your income to pay your rent or mortgage is an enormous strain on any budget.

We focus on:

- Building

- Employment

- Volunteer Engagement

- Education

- Honor