DeKalb Habitat Receives $100,000 from The Home Depot Foundation
Habitat For Humanity DeKalb was recently awarded $100,000 of grant funding by The Home Depot Foundation to support our Aging In Place Program that seeks to help veterans age at home and in communities of their choice. With this funding, Habitat can continue fulfilling its mission to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope by providing critical home repairs and modifications for older adults in DeKalb County.
Why is DeKalb Habitat focusing on veteran needs?
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 critical home repairs, health and other supportive services as they age.
Critical home repair is interior or exterior work performed to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or code violations, including a change to or repair of materials or components; a reconfiguration of space; a modification for accessibility; or the installation or extension of plumbing, mechanical or electrical systems on an existing structure.
DeKalb Habitat focuses on:
- Safe: steps, windows, doors, locks, lighting, electric, etc.
- Warm: furnace, weatherization, hot water heater, etc.
- Dry: roofing, siding, plumbing, etc.
- Accessible: ramps, ADA modifications, accessible kitchens/baths, etc.
DeKalb Habitat has served veterans from all service branches. Participating veterans served as far back as World War II. But, there is still much to be done! Join us in helping veterans and their families build strength, stability and independence through shelter.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot, works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $475 million in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.