Veterans Build T-shirts!

The goal of Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity's Veterans Build program is to provide housing solutions and volunteer opportunities to veterans, service members, and their families. More than 1.5 million of these households spend more than 50% of their income on housing and nearly 1 million veterans who are homeowners are severely cost burdened, despite having access to VA loans and other special programs.

Our Veterans Build program will be building a home for at LEAST one veteran family - and hopes to be breaking ground on Veterans Day, November 11th, 2015. It will be giving a hand up to a family with a zero percent interest home loan, and will potentially help change their lives!

Affordable homeownership breaks the cycle of generational poverty because it frees up money for investing in a brighter future - college classes, childrens’ involvement in community organizations, and tutoring. It makes families healthier and far more successful in careers and school. Compared to the child of a renter of the same socioeconomic status, a Habitat child is 116% more likely to graduate from college.

This build relies completely on funds that we raise through donations directly to our project, and that is why we need you!

To find out more about home sponsorship opportunities, email veteransbuild@fredhab.org and we will be more than happy to go over all the options with you! You can check out more information on the event wall!

For personal donations - you can also go to http://bit.ly/VeteransBuild and your donation will go directly to our project! Here is a link to our events on Facebook for you to see what is coming up - make sure to click "going" to get reminders and updates - https://www.facebook.com/veteranbuildgfhfh/events

What is Veterans Build?

Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity is one of the trendsetters when it comes to Veterans Builds. We are leading the charge as one of the first affiliates to begin this program. Habitat for Humanity’s national initiative is to provide housing solutions and volunteer and employment opportunities to U.S. veterans, military service members and their families.

The Veterans Buildis focused on these five inter-relatd areas:

1. Build:Provide simple, decent and affordable housing solutions for military, veterans and their families.

2. Mobilize:Engage military members, veterans, families, veterans’ groups and all military supporters in volunteer programs and veteran-related advocacy.

3. Employ:Capitalizeon skillsets gaied from ilitary ervice wth recrutment tageting veterans as Habitat for Humanity International/local affiliate employees, board members and extended volunteers, national service members, interns and fellows.

4. Educate:Promote cultural competency for Habitat affiliates engaging military and veterans and provide access to financial literacy and homeownership education programs.

5. Honor:Host regular slate of events highlighting veteran housing needs and honoring their service. Target dates include the 9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day and Veterans Day.

Nearly 4 million veteran households pay more than 30 percent of income for housing.

Why is Habitat for Humanity focusing on veteran needs?

More than 1.5 million of these households pay more than 50 percent of income for housing (severe cost burden). Nearly 1 million veterans who own homes are severely cost burdened, despite having access to VA loans and other assistance. A substantial subset of veterans struggles economically. Approximately 1.4 million veterans (6.7 percent) live in poverty.