HomeAid Partners with Bank of America to Support Housing for Veterans

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Nov. 25, 2015 - PRLog -- This month HomeAid recognizes Homelessness Awareness Month— a critical time to focus on the challenges faced by many of today’s combat veterans, a group that is quickly becoming one of the most vulnerable populations in the country. Today, 74% of post 9/11 combat veterans say they did not have a job when they left the military, and 35% of veterans report that they do not have a permanent place to live, with 18% reporting being homeless within the past 30 days.

As a leading nonprofit provider of housing, HomeAid is committed to providing veterans with the resources they need to lead a stable life. Among HomeAid’s key partners in this mission is Bank of America. This year, in response to the increasing number of homeless veterans living on the streets, Bank of America granted HomeAid $30,000 to build housing specifically for veterans in three HomeAid Chapter locations in California: Riverside, Sacramento, and San Diego.

“Access to stable, affordable housing is critical for military veterans who are transitioning back to civilian life, and yet many do not have a permanent place to call home,” said Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. “Bank of America is proud to partner with HomeAid in our joint mission to connect our nation’s veterans with the resources they need to build a stable life.”

For the past 11 years, the bank has contributed more than $2 million to HomeAid America and HomeAid chapters, providing continuous and unwavering support to help house families and individuals in need.

“We could not do the work we do to provide housing to help veterans get back on their feet without the support of great partners like Bank of America,” Said Peter Simons, CEO of HomeAid America. “This year in particular, BofA’s support of our veterans’ projects has been incredible and allowed us to do so much more for this worthy group of men and women.”

This year, as a direct result of Bank of America’s support, HomeAid has been successful in providing transition housing for more than 60 previously homeless veterans in California.

To learn more about HomeAid, visit: http://www.homeaid.org.

More on the partnership

HomeAid Inland Empire and the United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS), dedicated five newly-renovated apartments, to provide temporary housing for homeless veterans at the U.S.VETS facility in Riverside. General contractor Fred Agudelo was the Builder Captain and as part of the ongoing job training program at the facility, HomeAid hired five Veteran residents to do construction work on the project.  A couple of the veterans who participated in construction were actually able to earn enough money to move out of the facility and live independently.

As a result of HomeAid’s fundraising and in-kind donation efforts, U.S. VETS saved over 85% on the total cost for the initial renovation phase that provides 18 much-needed transitional living beds for disabled and homeless veterans as they work to rebuild their lives.

HomeAid San Diego partnered with Interfaith Community Services on their Veteran and Family Resource Center whose mission is “Helping people help themselves.” This transitional facility in San Diego with Builder Captain, Johnson & Jennings added 32 beds to this North County facility with an estimated value of $2,200,000.  More than 50% of in-kind professional services and product was donated.

This 10,000 square foot renovation will provide 20 new beds for veterans recovering from surgery after their hospital stay. They will receive medical, physical and mental therapy treatments, as well as full case management services. In addition, 12 more beds will be allocated for homeless individuals recovering from a hospital stay, accompanied by case management and physical and mental therapy treatments.

HomeAid Sacramento and the Volunteers of America (VOA), recently completed the renovation of an existing facility to create a Veteran’s Housing for Families.  VOA has provided transitional housing for homeless single men and women at this housing complex for the past 15 years. Through their programs, participants attend classes on basic living skills, employment readiness, and housing resources. Participants leave this facility with increased income and permanent housing.

USA Properties Fund, HomeAid Sacramento’s Builder Captain renovated and updated the interior of the 12 apartments to provide new living spaces for 12 veterans and their families where they can rebuild their lives.

About HomeAid America

HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for homeless families and individuals. Through the generosity of builders, their trades and their suppliers, HomeAid has completed over 410 housing projects nationwide at a value of more than $200 million, of which nearly fifty percent has been donated by the building industry.  Nearly 225,000 people have been sheltered by these housing projects over the past 26 years.  HomeAid currently has over 50 additional projects in development across the country through HomeAid’s network of 17 chapters in 12 states. For more information about HomeAid, call 1 888 3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.