GIVING BACK: Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP)
BlogOctober 17, 2022
Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight 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.
This issue, we are highlighting the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) and HUD [U.S. Housing and Urban Development]-approved organization dedicated to increasing sustainable homeownership, financial-literacy education, Veterans’ Administration (VA) loan awareness, and economic opportunity for the active-military and veteran communities. Since its establishment in 2011, VAREP and its members represent and work within all sectors of the real estate, housing, and financial-services industries to improve the lives of servicemembers and veterans through housing and philanthropy.
VAREP co-founders Son Nguyen and Dustin Luce realized that while many organizations help veterans with pensions, disability compensation, and critical life needs, no one organization was dedicated to financial literacy, housing, and homeownership. Many of its 7,000-plus members are also veterans, and so are uniquely positioned to understand the various challenges faced by the servicemember and veteran communities.
Among the VAREP programs is a house-flipping program which aims to transform neglected homes into livable houses; a HUD-approved housing education and counseling initiative; and VAREP Cares, which oversees an emergency assistance fund, educational-grant program, and housing assistance fund to help recipients with home purchase costs or repairs. The group also spearheads the “House-a-Vet” initiative in which it receives donated homes, renovates them, and awards them to families around the country in conjunction with national banking partners.
By the end of 2022, VAREP expects that its national footprint will expand to 25 states with more than 45 chapters. The organization works with local real estate, lending, and housing professionals to better serve the needs of military and veteran families in recipients’ communities. For additional information, please visit https://varep.net/.
