Palmdale, CA (July 21, 2023) – Homes 4 Families is very happy to announce that six more Veteran families moved into their new homes in the Palmdale Veteran Enriched Neighborhood® today! They have joined their sixteen neighbors already living in what will become a 56-home community built in partnership with The California Department of Veterans Affairs and the City of Palmdale.
At 7:45 am on the morning of Friday, July 21, 2023, six Veteran families pulled into their garages for the very first time. These are three- and two-bedroom single family homes specially designed for military families, in a community that encourages wellness and sustainability. They have earned this affordable homeownership opportunity through their military service, and through the completion of 500 hours of volunteerism and educational and enrichment service programming.
“We are overwhelmed right now. We are finally home. We’ve been homeless prior to this. We were living in the parking lot of a church in Compton, looking for places to take a shower. Finally being in our home means a lot,” said one Army veteran standing in front of his new home. “We can finally say we’re home,” added his spouse. “I want to thank everybody who worked on the houses. They came out really great and we are very excited to move in.”
“Without our community members who helped build these homes through grants and TEAMBuilds, today could not have been possible, said Donna Deutchman, President & CEO of Homes 4 Families. “Now our veterans lives are being further enriched by these wonderful welcome home gifts, and we are so grateful.”
The families were welcomed home with an abundance of love and generosity from the AV community. Tehachapi resident and US Marine Corps Veteran Richard Dunbar handcrafted beautiful wood American Flags for their walls.
The Assistance League of the Antelope Valley gave all the families very generous gift cards to purchase items they may need for their homes. A lovely fruit box was provided by Herb Biggers for a move-in day welcome.
The Elks Lodge #2027 purchased $300 of home needs for each family to help them prepare for move-in. Dishwashers were purchased and installed, ready for use by the Jerry and Linda J. Katz Foundation.
Other major contributors to this project included: Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Assemblymember Tom Lackey, The Ahmanson Foundation, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, High Desert Medical Group, RISE/GTI Grows, Lou and Joyce Gonzales, and many others.
The next 34 homes are underway, and will be completed in phases, and with the help of the community, over the next two years. To donate and find out other ways to contribute, please visit www.Homes4Families.org.
Homes 4 Families thanks all of the volunteers who have helped build these homes, all the community members who have rallied support, and of course all the veterans. Thank you for your service, and Welcome Home!
About Homes 4 Families: Homes 4 Families’ mission is to build resiliency, economic growth, neighborhoods, and homes for veterans and their families. Homes 4 Families empowers low-income veterans and their families to enter the middle class through affordable, full-equity homeownership combined with holistic services that build resiliency, self-sufficiency and economic growth. Through the outcome-proven Veteran Enriched Neighborhood® model, Homes 4 Families provides service members, veterans, and their families with comprehensive wraparound services that equip them to succeed in civilian life, including financial education, therapeutic workshops, trauma-informed programs and veteran-to-veteran support. Through continuous quality improvement and ongoing outcome research, this model is both proven, expanding, and improved on an ongoing basis in response to emerging veteran needs and economic changes.