Homes For Our Troops

Other

March 21, 2019

For the past five years, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems has highlighted in each issue a different charitable organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day. To back that up, our parent company – OpenSystems Media – makes a donation to every group we showcase on this page.

This issue, we decided to revisit one of the first organizations we spotlighted (see Military Embedded Systems April/May 2014 issue), Homes For Our Troops, as it celebrates its 15th year of operation. Homes For Our Troops was started in 2004 by a Massachusetts general contractor who offered to build a battle-injured Massachusetts Army National Guard soldier a specially adapted custom home. The soldier agreed to have the contractor build the home on the condition that he do the same for other injured veterans.

When we first reported on Homes for Our Troops in 2014, it had completed and donated 164 specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans nationwide. As of this update, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has built 274 homes for injured post-9/11 veterans in 42 states, with another 79 projects underway.

According to information from the organization, it continues a relationship with the veterans after delivering the home: Homes For Our Troops provides a pro bono financial planner for three years to assist in financial planning and household budgeting, in addition to homeownership education and warranty coverage to ensure that the veteran is set up for long-term success as a homeowner. It also maintains a network of nonprofits, corporations, and government entities to help recipients with employment, education, training, health, and other issues.

For more information on Homes For Our Troops, please visit https://www.hfotusa.org/.