To build and donate specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) was started in 2004 by a Massachusetts general contractor who offered to build a Massachusetts Army National Guard Soldier a specially adapted custom home. The Soldier, who had been injured in Iraq, agreed to have him build the home on the condition he do the same for other injured Veterans.

Yes, we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by IRS regulations. Our Federal ID # is 54-2143612.

We build new, specially adapted custom homes.

We provide assistance to the most severely injured Service Members who have been injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war since September 11, 2001.

Yes, we provide assistance to members of all branches of the military who qualify.

Our homes have over 40 major special adaptations to provide full access to the home for the Veteran. These adaptations include wider halls and doorways; automatic door openers; roll-under sinks, stove tops, and counters; pull-down shelving; backup house generator; sliding windows; roll in shower with digital temperature control; and a master bedroom closet that is a steel reinforced concrete storm room built to FEMA standards.

A Veteran must be approved for the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefits by the Veterans Administration. These benefits are provided to Veterans with severe physical injuries, which may include one or more amputations, full or partial paralysis, and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). For more information about the VA Specially Adapted Housing program, please visit the VA website at the following link: http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/adaptedhousing.asp.

As part of the Veteran’s review, HFOT conducts a criminal background check and a financial review to include the last three years of taxes, as well as banking, income, and outstanding debt information. Additionally, we conduct our final interview and assessment during the Veterans Conference that we host in Massachusetts.

Basic qualifying criteria for Veterans is as follows:

• Injured in the theater of Iraq-Afghanistan war, post 9/11/01.
• Retired or in the process of retiring from military service.
• Received letter of eligibility for the VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) program.*
• Pass a criminal and credit background check.
• The HFOT home must be the primary residence. Veterans must accept the responsibility of home ownership and have the resources to maintain a home, including ongoing maintenance and upkeep, property taxes, home insurance, utilities, etc.

**HFOT makes exceptions for Veterans with VA Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant entitlement established for loss of or loss of use of both hands, and blinded Veterans who meet the criteria for Legal Blindness (must provide a Certification of Legal Blindness).
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The home that HFOT provides is a specially adapted custom home designed to meet the needs of severely injured Veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war who may need to spend all or part of their day in a wheelchair. By meeting the injury requirements for SAH benefits, which are established by Congress and are intended to define the most severely injured Veterans, the Veteran meets an objective public standard that fulfills HFOT’s requirement to be severely injured. HFOT does not have the medical expertise to make these determinations, and relies on the VA’s medical authorities to make the determination for eligibility, which is our first criterion for any Veteran’s acceptance into HFOT’s program.

The VA Specially Adapted Housing grant is provided to Service Members and Veterans with certain permanent and total service-connected disabilities to help purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home to accommodate a disability.

The current (FY2022) amount of the SAH grant is $101,754.

No. The VA provides grants to Service Members and Veterans with certain permanent and total service-connected disabilities to help purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home to accommodate a disability. All Veterans applying to Homes For Our Troops must qualify for the VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefits. If a Veteran has not used his/her Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant from the VA, we require that the Veteran designate HFOT as the recipient of the grant, to help pay it forward for another HFOT Veteran.

As a highly rated military and Veterans nonprofit organization, Homes For Our Troops is 100% publicly funded, with approximately 65 percent of our operational budget generated by individual donors, private and family foundations, and community fundraisers nationwide who step up to help our Veterans by coordinating everything from lemonade stands to golf tournaments. The remaining 35% comes from corporate supporters in the form of cash and donated materials.

Since our founding in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans. View our financial statements on our website, https://www.hfotusa.org/.

1. The Veteran or a representative for the Veteran completes an online Inquiry Form that can be found at the following link: https://www.hfotusa.org/inquiry;
2. Veterans meeting the criteria outlined in Question #8 will be contacted by a member of our Intake Department by telephone for initial screening. If the Veteran is not able to participate in this initial screening for medical reasons, a representative for the Veteran may complete the initial intake screening on the Veteran’s behalf.
3. The Veteran submits a copy of his or her VA Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant letter of eligibility. Upon receipt of this SAH letter, the HFOT Intake Department will provide the HFOT New Home Application to the Veteran.
4. The Veteran submits a complete HFOT New Home Application along with all requested attachments.
5. The Application is reviewed by the Veterans Screening/Selection Committee (VSC). The Application is reviewed by the Veterans Screening/Selection Committee (VSC). The VSC determines which Veterans will be invited to the final step of the application process, the Veterans Information Conference.
6. If selected, the Veteran and a guest will attend a Veterans Informational Conference in Massachusetts.
7. Within 7 business days of the Veterans Informational Conference the Veteran will be notified by the Selection Committee whether or not they are accepted into the program.

No. The Veteran does not pay a fee toward the cost of the home, and there is no mortgage to be paid by the Veteran in the future.

No. Homes For Our Troops, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. As such, IRS regulations allow it to provide the home to Veterans in accordance with its mission and charter without any gift tax implications for the Veteran.

Rebuilding Lives is the most important aspect of our mission, therefore, we stay with our Veterans after home delivery. Homes For Our Troops provides a pro-bono financial planner for three years to assist in financial planning and household budgeting. We also provide homeownership education and warranty coverage to ensure that the Veteran is set up for long-term success as a homeowner. One staff section’s sole focus is following up with our Veterans, and we also have a peer mentoring program consisting of Veterans and spouses in the HFOT program. To improve our post home delivery support, we continue to expand our network of nonprofits, corporations, and government entities to provide assistance with employment, education, training, health, and other issues. We strive to provide the linkage between the Veteran and the assistance he or she needs. Other differences include spending nearly 90 cents on the dollar to support the Veterans since our inception in 2004, building where the Veteran wants to live, and a comprehensive selection process.

The charter that established Homes For Our Troops and determines what we can and cannot do was filed in 2004 with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. That charter, the guidance and oversight from our National Board of Directors, and our mission statement specify that Homes For Our Troops exists to build specially adapted custom homes for the most severely injured Veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war. As such, we are authorized and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization chartered to raise money for that purpose. When we have accomplished the mission for which we are chartered, our National Board will review our charter and mission for adjustment. Approximately 90% of the inquiries about assistance that we receive are from Veterans who do not meet our profile. We are proud of the fact that we never say “no”; we provide resource and contact information for reputable organizations that may be able to address the challenges that Veterans are experiencing.

Although the Veteran pays no mortgage, HFOT places a 10 year lien on the home. This protects the Veteran from losing the home due to foreclosure and safeguards our donors’ investments in the program; it also provides a period of time for the family to become more financially stable. Beginning in year six, the Veteran accrues 20 percent equity per year until he/she has full equity after 10 years in the home. Of the over 300 Veterans for whom we have built homes, only five have moved out before the end of their lien period. This is reflective of our thorough selection process, and follow up once the Veterans are in their home.

It is our goal to build homes of the highest quality, using exceptional products that endure the test of time (Whirlpool, CertainTeed, etc). We build our homes to Energy Star standards, providing maximum efficiency and lower utility expense. We look for builders who have a track record of superb workmanship in an effort to reduce the amount of maintenance and expense to our Veterans.

Homes For Our Troops selects experienced custom-home general contractors, local to the project site, to coordinate the construction of our homes in accordance with local building codes and requirements on a best-value, fixed-price basis. Our staff coordinates the delivery of top notch building materials donated by our national corporate partners to ensure each home is built to the highest of standards, providing our Veterans with a quality home that will stand the test of time and serve them well for many years to come.

How do I make a donation? You may make a donation using your credit card online (www.hfotusa.org/donate), by calling our office from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday-Friday at 866-787-6677, or print out a form and mail in a donation to our office at:Homes For Our Troops
6 Main St.
Taunton, MA 02780.You can also become a member of Operation Lasting Support, our monthly giving program, for as little as $15 a month.
Learn more at: www.hfotusa.org/ols.

We do not have chapters. Our headquarters is located in Taunton, Massachusetts.

The Veteran decides the geographic area where he/she would like to live, considering proximity to family, medical centers, school systems, jobs, privacy preferences, and urban versus rural settings. The HFOT land team locates and provides lots to the Veteran, who then makes the final selection.

Yes, through the support of our national partner Cinch Home Services, Inc., each home is provided with a 3-year Complete Home Plan, ensuring comprehensive coverage for the critical systems and appliances in HFOT’s homes. The general contractor also provides a one-year limited warranty. HFOT stands by its homes, and will fix any original construction problems that arise; there is no time limit.

HFOT requires the Veteran to participate in a financial planning program with a pro bono financial planner for three years. Additionally, HFOT provides the Veteran with information on property tax exemptions for which he/she may qualify.

All HFOT Veterans are required to secure and maintain homeowner’s insurance on their homes to guard against damage caused by fire, wind, certain natural disasters, and other causes. Should a Veteran’s HFOT home suffer a catastrophic loss, HFOT is available to assist and guide the Veteran, while the homeowner’s insurance helps the Veteran cope with the financial consequences.

From acceptance into the HFOT Family to Key Ceremony, our time is roughly 24-36 months. Construction averages about six to nine months. Additional timeline is spent on land search and permitting.

We carefully manage our build schedule with our revenue flow to ensure we continue to build a home for every Veteran brought into our program.

Please contact our Marketing Department at 508-823-3300 Ext 216 or e-mail [email protected]

Email us at [email protected]; call us at 508-823-3300.

Visit www.hfotusa.org/fundraise for fundraising tips/ideas, or email the team at [email protected].

Yes, you can make every mile count by joining Team HFOT/DIY Runners. The Team participates in many of the World Major Marathons. Learn more at www.hfotusa.org/TeamHFOT.

Due to privacy concerns, we do not provide the contact information of our Veterans. We can provide your contact information to Veterans as appropriate.

To keep nearly 90 cents of each dollar spent going to support our Veterans, we made a deliberate decision to minimize the amount of money we spend on advertising. While we are working to develop more national exposure, including public service announcements on television and radio, as well as social media, we firmly believe our success in growth is due to our outreach at the local community level where our Veterans live. We are a grassroots organization, and our approach to marketing mirrors who we are.

Our Corporate Partners include ABC Supply, ACE Cash Express, AirMedCare Network, American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), AREAA Foundations, Boeing, Broan-NuTone, Budget Blinds, CALIBRE, CertainTeed, Channellock, C.H.I. Overhead Doors, Cinch Home Services, Coretec, Ferguson, Heating Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), Harvey Building Products, H-E-B, ION SOLAR, Leonardo DRS, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, MI Windows and Doors, OakCraft Elegant Cabinetry, Pack Rat, Patriot Coolers, Progress Lighting, Rev-A-Shelf, Rinnai, Shaw Industries, Sherwin-Williams, Silestone, Sparkling Ice, Storage Gives, Texas Roadhouse, Veterans United Foundation, Wayfair, WB Liquors & Wine, Whirlpool, Wounded Warrior Project, and Wyffels Hybrids. Learn more about becoming a partner at www.hfotusa.org/partner.