Veterans First project winds down
by News
on August 24, 2020
It’s impossible not to be deeply moved by the thanks and gratitude of the veterans who our donors and investors, through their support of our Veterans First project, have helped to buy custom, ENERGY STAR®-rated, homes in a resident-owned community (ROC).
One new homeowner recently wrote: “I honestly am super blessed and super lucky that I somehow managed to stumble into such an amazing deal as I have with this place. It’s brand new, it’s in a beautiful part of the country, with a park that is walking distance for Taco and I, it’s a short enough drive for all the amenities, but far enough to be out in the country and away from the city.
“The price is great and beyond reasonable. There really isn’t a better way for me to make a home somewhere and on top of that I’ve had great people to make it happen every step of the way.”
Near the end of 2020 we expect the 10th and final Veterans First home in Rock Rimmon Cooperative in Danville to be sold and occupied.
For the formerly homeless veterans, including former Marine Lora Gervais (in photo), owning new manufactured homes that they can afford on their fixed disability incomes represents security, stability, and—because the homes are in close proximity and in a cooperative community—connection.
We’re currently fundraising the last $52,500 to complete the $650,000 project.
Each home costs $65,000, and total housing costs for each veteran are a fraction of what they would pay to rent a comparable apartment. Manufactured home-ownership is much more common among veterans than in the general public, due to affordability, ease of maintenance, and cooperative living common to their core values, among other factors.
The closing of the Veterans First project does not end our support for veterans who want to buy homes. Our Welcome Home Loan program offers down payment and closing cost assistance that can help even veterans with very low incomes afford to buy homes in ROCs or on their own land, so we hope to keep serving them.
“Every veteran deserves a home,” says Jennifer Hopkins, the Director of Single-Family Housing. “And it took a determined community of partners and funders to make Veterans First as successful as it is. Every one of them, as well as the Community Loan Fund’s donors and investors, owns a piece of that success.”
We are grateful to the organizations and individuals who have made this project possible:
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
Harbor Homes
Ironwood Building Construction
Merrimack County Savings Bank
NeighborWorks Southern NH
Next Step US
NH Charitable Foundation
NH Community Development Finance Authority
NH Housing Finance Authority
NH SAVES Energy Star Homes Program
NH State Veterans Advisory Committee
Rock Rimmon Cooperative
ROC USA
Skyline Homes
Town of Danville