VETERANS BUILD

Facts about Veterans

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition finds that 2.5 million veterans heading households are at least 55 years of age. Of those 2.5 million veterans, 24 percent have housing cost burdens. Unlike our older civilians, our older veterans are more likely to have a disability — 35 percent versus 28 percent — which may require home modifications, health, and other supportive services as they age.
Our female veteran population is in need as well. According to a report by the National Housing Conference, nearly half of our veterans who are single mothers spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Our female veterans face significant economic and housing challenges and are particularly vulnerable to housing cost burdens compared with our overall veteran population.
Likewise, our most recent veterans who served following 9/11 have returned to a slow-growing economy and rising housing costs. These economic factors have made the transition from military service to civilian life difficult for many of our veterans.
In addition, nearly 4 million of our veterans pay at least 30 percent of their income toward rent or mortgage, while more than 1.5 million pay at least 50 percent. As you can imagine, using half of your income to pay your rent or mortgage is an enormous strain on any budget.

Five Areas of Focus

We appreciate your interest in Habitat for Humanity’s Veteran Build. Through this initiative, you can help us provide volunteer, homeownership, and employment opportunities to U.S. veterans, military service members, and their families.

Building
Safe, decent, and affordable housing is the centerpiece of Veterans Build. In many communities, we are expanding programs to maintain and preserve homes and make them more energy-efficient and affordable. In partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, Habitat developed the Repair Corps program to offer critical home repairs to military veteran homeowners.
Employment
We value skill sets gained from your military service. We recruit veterans to work at Habitat as employees, board members, extended volunteers, AmeriCorps members, interns, and fellows. You can find a position at Habitat for Humanity International or find a Habitat office near you for employment opportunities in your community.
Volunteer Engagement
We provide volunteer experiences that bring together veterans, military families, and their neighbors. These experiences help bridge the gap and ease the transition to civilian life with fulfilling community engagement. You can find a Habitat office near you for volunteer opportunities in your community. You can also learn more about our long-term volunteer opportunities.
Education
We offer financial education and financial literacy programs. Our programs support successful homeownership among veteran and military homeowners. We also train Habitat employees and community volunteers throughout the U.S. to better understand the military culture. This increases our effectiveness in interacting with veterans and military families. You can learn more about our financial education and financial literacy programs.
Honor
Throughout the year, we host special events that pay tribute to veterans, raise awareness, and mobilize volunteers. We invite you to join one of our build events.
Notable successes and celebrations:
4,500+
The number of veterans and their families who have partnered with us to improve their housing since 2013.

250+
The number of Habitat affiliates that take part in Veterans Build, partnering with veteran support organizations to meet veterans’ needs.
100+
This is how many veteran-serving organizations we are currently partnering with or reaching out to. These organizations allow us to better meet the needs of veterans through our holistic approaches.
50+
The number of Habitat affiliates across 30+ states that participated in Repair Corps projects, resulting in over 800 veteran-occupied properties.

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