Vicente Ramirez, an Army Veteran who lost one leg and injured the other in two IED blasts in Iraq in 2006, received a new home, built and paid for by the nonprofit Homes For Our Troops.
Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a nonprofit organization that builds “specially adapted custom homes” for Veterans who have been seriously injured serving their country, post 9/11.
New residence helps recovery
Dozens of special features in the Ramirez residence make life easier for the Veteran. The new house will, he said, “take a huge burden off my daily living.” He now has the ability to maneuver a wheelchair throughout the home because of an open floor plan, eliminating many of his daily challenges.
By removing physical barriers, Ramirez feels that he can focus on providing a better future for his two children. He chose Florida as the location of his new forever home to be close to family.
Because of his supporters and the gift of this home, Ramirez feels like he can rebuild his own life, too. He’s also making plans to continue his education in criminal justice. “These homes not only help soldiers, but most importantly, these homes help Veterans be more productive individuals to family and friends.”
The nonprofit Homes For Our Troops builds specially adapted custom homes for seriously injured, post-9/11 Veterans. It provides homes at no cost to qualified Veterans and builds in a geographical area that meets the Veteran’s needs.
Because of Homes For Our Troops, almost 300 Veterans have new places to call home that improve their quality of life.
Who qualifies for an adapted home?
To qualify for a specially adapted home, a Veteran must have been injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, post-9/11, be retired (or in the process of retiring) from the service, received a letter of eligibility from the VA Specially Adapted Housing Grant program, and the gifted home must be the Veteran’s primary residence.
The recipient Veteran will be responsible for paying property taxes, insurance, and other home-ownership responsibilities.
Homes For Our Troops currently has more than 80 active home construction projects in progress. To learn more, please visit https://www.hfotusa.org, email info@hfotusa.org or call 866-787-6677.
The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on part of the VA.
Isabel Nulter and Alyssa Morford are student interns with VA’s Digital Media Engagement team.
Topics in this story
More Stories
The South Carolina VA team hosted an impressive Veterans Experience Action Center (VEAC) from March 21-23, 2024. Over three days, more than 1100 Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors received real-time connections to Veteran resources.
We’ve curated an assortment of events that aim to assist, educate, and enrich Veterans and their families. Each week, we’ll continue to post relevant and timely events for the Veteran community.
Each week, we receive job announcements from employers and employment websites—including RallyPoint, VetJobs and HireMilitary—looking to hire Veterans. This post contains links to job listings for the week of April 22, 2024. Each week, we’ll continue to post relevant and timely listings as we receive them, and for the locations listed.
Listen up Veterans email your Senators or Representative asked them to contact the Veteran Affairs Committee passed a new Benefit Law for Disabled Veterans who is need to have a Dentist know how to G4 implants for free because they don’t have one work for Veteran Medical Centers or have a contract with Veteran Affairs Administration and if a Disabled Veterans who is 100 percent service connected doesn’t get the G4 implants it would cause really bad Health Problems plus it would cause really bad Gums Disease plus it would cause Cancer…Semper Fi.
I have a 5-6 acre vacant plot of ground near Columbus, Ga. and Ft. Benning that would hold 2-4 homes.
Gift to Vets.
Need partners to plan and develop the ground-utilities and roads [maybe can find locally], and Build the homes. Benning proximity could result in bus svc., commissary, etc. Unique opportunity. Close by Moblle Home Parks might patriotically help manage the “subdivision”.
robert clark
Col. 06-Retired
Mr. Clark;
Your comments on a piece of property in GA is interesting, Just what i have been looking for. I am a geothermal engineer, retired military Commander 05, Navy, and have been in the geothermal business for 30 years. I have been involved in and still are ,involved in many money saving and healthful building projects. I would like to talk to you regards construction of these homes. Health and energy efficiency are my 2 most important goals. Built the “Highest Rated Energy Rated Efficient Home” for the year 1992, in Jacksonville, FL I held that record from 1985 through 1994 with the highest “HERS’ rating (10 years).
Google welllivinglabs.com Mayo Clinic has opened a research facility in Rochester ,Mn, to study lighting on peoples minds and are coming up with some amazing results. Ideal for wounded veterans homes.
I am now working on reducing my church power expense from $145,000 in 2018 to “Zero”. It is doable.
I live in Jacksonville Beach, FL
Charles Sellers
I suggest refurbishing vacant foreclosure ranch style homes instead.. The
Occupancy would be Muchly shortened. Also approve VA Morgage quicker, let
Vetersn share part of cost if able. Hire disabled vets to work on or
Apprentice vet. Craftsmen.
VA loans don’t do foreclosures or property without a permanent structure of at least 400 square feet or larger. Also, require a credit score average of 620 or higher from the 3 primary credit bureaus for a VA loan. Often times it will require a combined household income of $3,000-$5,000 a month which can be difficult to obtain if the veterans are disabled or unable to work full time. This project is a great opportunity for those that qualify for it.
[Editor: VA does not have a minimum credit score. If a bank or lender imposes one on you, find another who will work with you.]
What a great program! Such a nice way to say ‘thank you’ for their service to our country.
I Love the Homes for Troops story.
My son and I have been Realtor since 2014 and have worked with Homesforheroes from the start.
Now we are moving on to US Veterans Realty to pass on the Max Benefit. Keep up the great work guys.
I’m sure that losing a limb is a horrible experience but what about the veterans that have lost use of their minds, can’t keep any relationship and think constantly of ways to end their pain. What are you doing for them.
I’d love to have a beautiful new home, but we all know that’s not happening.
Michael,
Thank you for bringing up such an excellent point. As all are learning, to include our Commander In Chief, brain injuries are becoming more wide spread.
Additionally, some may have preconceived thoughts or notions of the “Old School of Thought – not visible means not injured! That thought process lead to numerous “Shell Shocked” or “Combat Fatigue” Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines being left in the fight beyond the point they should have been removed and given treatment. Yet military comments of “come on ‘wipe those tears away’ or ‘suck it up and be a man’ or ‘in this unit we are tougher than that – so get your A$$ in gear and complete that mission. Do you understand me!!!’ ”
Yet in today’s war with IED’s, hard landing to avoid severely shot up aircraft as well as roadside bombs and suicide bombers and concussions being thrown at us from all angles it is a wonder – that after 1 deployment, not to mention the multiple that we have been required to perform that many of us returning don’t come back with our brains in such shaken messes that the brain is not able to be poured out of our heads!
We still have so many PRE 9/11 veterans in need. I wish they could apply too
Homes for our Troops is a wonderful veterans charity. I have seen first hand the homes they have built and donated here in California. If you do some research, you will see that about 92% of what they raise goes back into the program.
You will also see that their CEO is paid about half what other veteran charities pay their CEO’s.
Homes for our troops should be recognized more often, thank you.
I am a 33 year old 70 percent disabled veteran suffering from PTSD with anxiety and am an above the knee amputee. I served 5 years on active duty in U.S. Naval Aviation. My entire immediate family has been deceased for a few years and I have suffered from chronic homelessness until recently. I am in the HUD/ VASH program living in section 8 housing here in Austin, Texas and am living in an ADA compliant unit on the first floor. I have 5 units around me including under me. The apartment life here is effecting my PTSD and my school. I have inquired about a service dog but not sure if an apartment is the best place. I’m taking classes at Austin Community College 3/4 time towards a degree in Astrophysics. I am founding a Non-Profit Organization for Veterans, people with disabilities, and the transitional homeless. The noise and constant close living quarters have been quite the struggle for me during the last year and a half. If you could help or at least point me in the right direction I would humbly appreciate it. Thank you.
Respectfully,
-Jeremiah