TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Habitat for Humanity builds and give homes to families in need, but a new program is taking it a step further.
Affordable housing is a nationwide crisis, one Habitat for Humanity has been working to curb for years.
Now, a national initiative aimed at making sure all veterans have a roof over their heads is headed to the Big Bend.
The Veterans Build program is aimed at providing veterans homes while also giving them an opportunity to gain employment. On Friday, the Big Bend Habitat for Humanity announced that it's joining the initiative.
The program will focus on five things:
- Providing affordable housing
- Helping veterans find jobs
- Engaging military veterans and their families with volunteer opportunities
- Hosting events that provide education on things like financial literacy
- Holding service events on holidays
Habitat for Humanity says a lot of their volunteers are retired military, so giving back and showing gratitude is an easy decision.
"The veterans have sacrificed so much for us and often times they are forgotten about when they return home when it comes to engagement in the community," said Antoine Wright, with Habitat for Humanity. "These are a special type of people, they are servers, they are the first to step up."
In order to make any of this possible, they need $65,000 by this fall to build the first new home.
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The group says they're aiming to have the money by September, and have the vets move in by December. That way they can move in just in time for Christmas.
City leaders support the move as well. Commissioner Curtis Richardson calls it another way Tallahassee can help build better lives.
