SOURCE The Home Depot Foundation
ATLANTA, /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Home Depot Foundation announced its investment of an additional $6.4 million to combat veteran homelessness and support housing initiatives for the sector. Since 2011, the Foundation has contributed more than $100 million to organizations that support veterans facing housing shortages as part of a larger commitment to invest $500 million in veterans’ causes by 2025.
In total, recent donations will benefit nearly 4,000 veterans who are at risk of homelessness and provide more than 600 homes in the United States. “Supporting veterans’ causes is a central part of our mission at The Home Depot Foundation,” said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. “The most recent statistics from the Department of Housing and Urban Development tell us that, any ordinary night, approximately 37,000 veterans experience homelessness. This is unacceptable to anyone, especially those who have dedicated years of their lives to serving this country. We focus on supporting and working with partners across the country to end veterans’ homelessness.”
National nonprofit partners, including Community Solutions, U.S.VETS, Volunteers of America and the Housing Assistance Council will receive funding to provide transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and other support services to those veterans and their families who may be homeless. Additional funds will be distributed to local organizations to address the needs of veterans facing housing insecurity in communities across the country, including Baltimore, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and many more.
The Foundation will continue to work with Community Solutions and its Built for Zero initiative, a national movement that engages more than 80 communities working to measurably end homelessness. To date, 14 communities have achieved this goal by reaching a milestone known as zero functional, and more than 135,000 people have been housed by Built for Zero communities since 2015.
“Since 2012, we are proud to partner with The Home Depot Foundation to work towards our shared vision of ending homelessness,” said Jessica Venegas, director of Strategic Partnerships at Community Solutions. “Funding from The Home Depot Foundation will help the eight communities in our large cohort of cities reduce the number of homeless veterans this year, which will also include helping 3,000 veterans move into housing.”
U.S.VETS, the nation’s largest nonprofit veterans service provider, will receive $600,000 from the Foundation in 2021 to support the construction of a new transitional housing facility in Riverside, California, and to rehabilitate a motel in Phoenix, which will provide housing and access to basic services for more than 200 veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“Our goal, beyond ending veterans’ homelessness forever, is to support military veterans and their families to successfully move from emergency housing to more independent living in communities with temporary and permanent homes,” said Steve Peck, president and CEO of U.S.VETS. “By working with The Home Depot Foundation and its volunteer corps, Team Depot, we have been able to provide more veterans with stability and a place to call home.”
In 2020, veteran homelessness increased for the first time in several years, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable segment of the population has not yet been accurately calculated. Through its work with nonprofits across the country, The Home Depot Foundation seeks to reverse this alarming trend and ensure that our nation’s heroes have access to safe and reliable housing.
To date, the Foundation has invested more than $375 million in veterans’ causes, including conducting essential home repairs for combat-wounded veterans, providing financial assistance, and supporting older veterans to independently age in their own homes.
About The Home
Depot Foundation The Home Depot Foundation
works to improve the housing and lives of U.S. veterans, train qualified technicians to close the employment gap, and support communities affected by natural disasters. To learn more, visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
