Home Depot supports housing for veterans

With more than 37,000 veterans estimated to be experiencing homelessness, said the Home Depot Foundation, it has granted an additional $8 million to nonprofit partners as part of its overall commitment of half of a billion dollars to veteran causes.

Individuals who have served in the U.S. military continue to be overrepresented in the homeless adult population, based on estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Over the past decade, The Home Depot Foundation has invested over $110 million to ensure our nation’s heroes are able to successfully transition out of homelessness through access to housing and supportive services,” said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation.

The Home Depot Foundation has been actively working to combat the crisis for the past decade. These latest grants will fund construction and renovation of more than 800 housing units, short-term residential programs, supportive services and other programs aimed at bringing an end to veteran homelessness.

“While the factors leading to the issue are complex, the mission is clear: Together, we must end veteran homelessness. We’re proud to partner with organizations committed to bringing this vision to life,” said Gerber.

The Foundation said it has partnered with leading national nonprofit organizations to, “ensure our nation’s heroes have access to affordable housing, including the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans, Volunteers of America, Community Solutions and Housing Assistance Council.”

New grants to these organizations, said the retailer, will:

• Help thousands of veterans experiencing homelessness in major cities move into housing;
• Provide for new construction and rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing units and transitional housing units;
• Make more affordable housing resources and tools available;
• Help low-income veterans at risk of homelessness in rural communities access affordable housing.
   

“Volunteers of America is committed to ending veteran homelessness and preventing others from becoming homeless, and, through this grant of $1.9 million from The Home Depot Foundation, we’ll be able to provide services and housing to more veterans across the nation,” said Tanisha Smith, vice president of corporate partnerships for Volunteers of America.

“Through emergency and transitional housing, mental health, case management, employment and mentorship services, we’re committed to helping veterans overcome the barriers that stand between them and a stable, secure life,” said Smith.

Through the Foundation’s Veteran Housing Grant program, more than $3.7 million will be distributed to nonprofits making a direct impact in their local communities, said Home Depot.

The Foundation’s $1 million investment in the greater Los Angeles area will help U.S. Vets and Century Villages at Cabrillo, Inc. construct more than 200 new units of housing for low-income veterans and those experiencing homelessness, said the retailer.

In Orlando, The Home Depot Foundation’s grant will support Step Up on Second Street, Inc. with the construction of 101 units of permanent supportive housing, with 30 units reserved for veterans and their families.

Additional funds have been granted to nonprofits working in Atlanta, San Francisco, Tampa, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, among other cities.