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Leadership Group Formed to Address Veterans’ Housing Concerns

American Flag House BHOperation Homefront, a national non-profit committed to building strong, stable, and secure military families so those families can thrive in the communities they protect, has announced the formation of a new leadership group designed to support the organization’s mission.

The newly-created Veterans Financial Services Advisory Council (VFSAC) includes prominent leaders from the housing, banking, finance, and mortgage industries. Bob Caruso, Division President, Servicing and Strategy for ServiceLink, will be the Chairman of the VFSAC; Ed Delgado, President and CEO, Five Star Institute, be the council’s Vice-Chairman; and the VFSAC’s managing director will be Brig Gen (ret) John I. Pray, Jr., President and CEO of Operation Homefront.

Numerous reports within the industry, including a Low Income Housing Coalition report estimating that more than 1.5 million veterans are spending more than half of their income on housing, indicate that there is an urgent need to address housing initiatives for veterans. That same report indicated that severe housing costs burdens were more likely to be borne by post-9/11 veterans than veterans from prior eras.

The VFSAC’s goal is to address and find solutions to the financial challenges that military families face.

“After serving in our nation’s time of need and protecting the freedoms we, as Americans, enjoy daily, we see many military families struggling to make ends meet. We want to help those that have done so much for all of us to have the same opportunities they have made possible,” said Pray. “Having a safe and secure place to call ‘home’ is critical to building a better future and our Homes on the Homefront (HOTH) program is designed to help military families establish the foundation upon which to build that better future.”

Operation Homefront has partnered with several major financial institutions to place more than 550 families in homes since 2012, which saved approximately $22 million in mortgage costs. Over the last two years, Operation Homefront has teamed with Auction.com and the Five Star Institute to donate a total of 11 mortgage-free homes to wounded veterans at the 2015 and 2016 Five Star Conferences.

Operation Homefront estimates that 92 percent of those 550 families were still living in the homes donated to them and an additional 6 percent of families went on to purchase a larger home with equity they had gained.

“These homes are an investment in the future of our military familiesespecially for those who have sacrificed so much for all of us in securing our own way of life,” said Caruso. “Through the Veterans Financial Services Advisory Council, we will build a coalition that is able to accomplish three key tasks:  sourcing homes to donate to military families; engaging companies willing to renovate donated homes; and recruiting donors to fund Operation Homefront’s Homes on the Homefront program expenses.”

The leaders on the VFSAC will combine their expertise and resources to support a broad national effort supporting military families who are experiencing difficulties, either financially or with some aspect of the transition from military to civilian life. That effort includes providing these families with:

  • relief through critical assistance and housing programs;
  • resiliency through permanent housing and caregiver programs;
  • and recurring family support through a variety of programs to make sure short-term needs are met and that they don’t become long-term struggles.

“This is a seminal moment for Operation Homefront. Our Advisory Council will capitalize on the expertise of many national leaders in the financial services arena to help chart a strong future for military families for years to come,” said Delgado, who was appointed to the Operation Homefront Board of Directors in August. “It is absolutely critical to not just raise awareness, but actually deliver tangible results on meeting the very real housing needs of our military families.”

For more information, go to OperationHomefront.net.

(Editor’s note: The Five Star Institute is the parent company of DS News and DSNews.com)

About Author: Brian Honea

Brian Honea's writing and editing career spans nearly two decades across many forms of media. He served as sports editor for two suburban newspaper chains in the DFW area and has freelanced for such publications as the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Dallas Home Improvement magazine, and the Dallas Morning News. He has written four non-fiction sports books, the latest of which, The Life of Coach Chuck Curtis, was published by the TCU Press in December 2014. A lifelong Texan, Brian received his master's degree from Amberton University in Garland.
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