SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Veterans in Deer Park are taking time to give back to their community on Patriot Day.
Habitat for Humanity is hosting its first ever Veterans Build in Deer Park over the next four days. Dozens of volunteers, including a few veterans, are lending a helping hand to those in need.
Rising housing costs are a huge burden for many veterans. Habitat for Humanity said more than 1.5 million veterans spend at least half of their income on rent or a mortgage.
“It’s about highlighting the need for affordable home ownership,” said Clare Brown, Chief Development Office for Habitat for Humanity Spokane. “It’s about highlighting the need for veterans, for military service members.”
Habitat for Humanity has built around 50 homes in Deer Park. Over the next four days, it will work on adding two more to the community.
Over a hundred volunteers will be in the Hope Meadows neighborhood for the event, many of whom are veterans themselves.
Nathan Thomas is a disabled veteran who already got an ADA accessible home through Habitat for Humanity last year. He still volunteers with the program to give back to his community.
“Without everyone that comes out and helps, the people in need – whether they be a veteran or not – it doesn’t happen without the volunteers,” Thomas said.
Thomas said volunteering with Habitat for Humanity is more rewarding because he gets to meet the people that helped him when he was in need.
Habitat for Humanity said it hops to continue to address the need for affordable housing among vulnerable communities.
“We have a lot of different builds that Habitat does. We do a Women Build, we did our first Pride Build this year. I think it’s really important to recognize that housing is a non-partisan issue,” Brown said.
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