Veterans navigate the same challenges as everyone else, including rising costs and a lack of affordable housing. On top of that, they face additional difficulties due to deployments, frequent relocations, and the transition to civilian life after military service—issues that can sometimes become overwhelming.
Veterans are experiencing homelessness in every corner of our country and I want to share with you how HomeAid is helping tackle this issue in our own unique way.
Grace is a veteran who served in the Army. While she was in the Army, she worked as a computer programmer, and when she got out of the military, she began living and working in Reston as a single mom of two boys—ages 10 and 14.
Grace was managing life after the military well until, one day, she was in a car accident on her way to work. This accident left her with astronomical medical bills and without a car to get to work. With no way to get to work, she lost her job, and with the medical bills piling up, she eventually lost her housing. It started with one challenge and quickly became too much for Grace to handle while trying to raise two young boys.
Little did Grace know that for months, HomeAid had been working with our Builder Captain, Christopher Companies, to renovate a house in Fairfax County, Virginia, owned by Operation Renewed Hope—a nonprofit dedicated to providing quality housing and supportive services to our nation’s veterans who are experiencing homelessness. The renovation was completed last spring and was ready for Grace and her family to move in. Her story was about to start again in a newly renovated single-family home where her sons could walk to school, and their dog would have a fenced-in backyard to play in.
This past Saturday night, at our Gala and Auction, we witnessed the incredible power of HomeAid and the extraordinary generosity of our supporters. Thanks to you, we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that will go directly towards creating beautiful, life-changing facilities where people, like Grace can thrive and build brighter futures. We are incredibly grateful to each of you who raised your paddles, donated, and rallied around our mission. Your contributions help others up in their times of need and strengthens our entire community.
At HomeAid National Capital Region, we are especially honored to contribute to the well-being of the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country. Together we are doing our part to care for them as they have cared for us.
With gratitude,
On a glittering autumn evening, HomeAid National Capital Region’s “A Night in Morocco” Gala & Auction welcomed more than 300 supporters to Westfield Marriott Washington Dulles for a night of fundraising and celebration. Together, supporters and guests raised more than $330,000 for HomeAid, which will support our mission of helping people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The funds were raised through sponsorships, ticket sales, and the silent and live auctions, as well as through the always-exciting Paddle Challenge, with Stanley Martin Homes generously matching up to $10,000.
We also announced and honored three recipients for our prestigious Presidents’ Circle Awards. The 2024 Awards, sponsored by the Alloy Family Foundation, recognized the following people and organizations for their work in advancing HomeAid’s mission:
Presidents’ Award: Gary Chandler
The Presidents’ Circle award is presented to an individual, company, or organization that has shown exceptional dedication of creating safe and dignified housing and programmatic facilities for nonprofits throughout the region. Gary Chandler, regional senior vice president for K. Hovnanian’s Mid-Atlantic Region, has been a key figure in supporting HomeAid’s mission ever since K. Hovnanian first served as the Builder Captain for a project with Christian Relief Services in 2006. Under his leadership, K. Hovnanian Homes has since completed nine projects for HomeAid, with a combined value of $985,925. Gary’s involvement with HomeAid has also deepened, as he joined HomeAid’s Board of Directors in 2017, served as Board President in 2019, and organized and led the K. Hovnanian Trade Council Golf Tournament beginning in 2019. This annual event has raised significant unrestricted funds for HomeAid National Capital Region, providing essential financial support that helps HomeAid continue our work and expand our reach.
Trade Partner of the Year Award: Capital Mechanical, LLC
The Trade Partner of the Year award is presented to a vendor, trade partner, or industry leader that has gone above and beyond in their service to HomeAid and our nonprofit partners. Capital Mechanical, LLC, has been volunteering with HomeAid since 2009 and has donated plumbing services to 17 projects, totaling over $144,000 in donated time, labor, and materials – and impacting over 4,500 lives, including our 2024 project for Facets.
Nonprofit Service Provider Project of the Year Award: ALIVE!
In July 2024, Builder Captain Richmond American and 21 trade partners reconfigured and renovated a three-story single-family home to accommodate three families in separate residential units, a residential apartment and staff office space, a resident common area, a half bath for staff, and additional storage. Trade partners also installed new flooring, painted the interior, and updated the kitchen and bathrooms.
The project – completed in just under six weeks – now provides up to 24 months of temporary housing and support for women and their families in emergency and transitional situations. Nearly all (97%) of the $107,739 community investment was donated by HomeAid, Richmond American, and its partners.
In addition to the award, ALIVE! received a $1,000 donation and enjoyed a Gala table for 10, sponsored by Doug Horne.
Builders First Source served as the presenting sponsor of the Gala & Auction, with nearly 30 additional event sponsors joining in. Thank you for making this year’s event an enormous success!
Missed this year’s event or want to save memories of your experience? Be sure to check out the hundreds of professional photos taken this year as well as the video highlighting our project at ALIVE!
Thanksgiving is nearly here, and as you prepare your home for this season of gratitude, please add HomeAid’s Home Essentials Drive to your list of ways to give and make an impact this holiday season! While our projects provide safe and dignified housing for those experiencing homelessness, there is always a need once projects are completed to set up new spaces with all of the essential household items that make a home.
The drive is running from now through the end of the year with an Amazon Wish List full of basics that every household needs, such as small kitchen appliances, linens, towels, kitchenware, and cleaning supplies. All household essentials will be shipped directly to our office, where the items will be organized and delivered to families and individuals moving out of homelessness and into housing.
Getting involved can be as simple as selecting some of your favorites from our Amazon Wish List or coordinating an office-wide drive. No matter what you decide, help us make someone’s holidays extra special – and remember, the funds our partners save by not having to purchase these essentials means more funding for supportive programs and services!
Have questions? Please contact Erica Simpson!
On Friday, October 18, HomeAid National Capital Region and Builder Captain Toll Brothers broke ground on the Reeves Farmland project, alongside Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia, and L’Arche Greater Washington, D.C. Joined by more than 100 supporters, the event celebrated a unique collaboration between HomeAid and Habitat for Humanity in support of L’Arche, an inter-denominational Christian community dedicated to providing compassionate care, housing, and support for members who have intellectual disabilities.
HomeAid’s biggest priority for the project will be bringing the 200-year-old farmhouse up to code and making it ADA-compliant for the core members of L’Arche. The revitalization of the 3,500-square-foot historic farmhouse will begin simultaneously with the construction of a new 2,000-square-foot addition. The project will add six bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a powder room in the addition. In the farmhouse, HomeAid and partners will renovate a kitchen, dining room, and great room on the first floor; reconfigure the second floor to two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a multipurpose room; and transform the third level into an office for the L’Arche staff. Trade partners will stabilize the entire farmhouse, completely rewire all the electrical and plumbing systems, install new flooring, bring in brand-new lighting, create a laundry room, and add an elevator.
Outdoor work will include landscaping, preserving the porch – the essence of the house – and replacing the windows and siding to match the historic home’s façade.
“L’Arche is a model for providing compassion, caring services and housing for people with intellectual disabilities. They create an environment of community and are constantly evolving to meet the needs of their core members,” HomeAid National Capital Region CEO Kristyn Burr said at the groundbreaking. “This project fosters that same spirit, with neighbors embracing L’Arche’s mission and rallying around this collaborative project. Our hope is that our elected officials and community members will continue to look at vacant buildings and consider how we can create innovative solutions and provide more housing for those in need.”
Watch our progress as this exciting renovation and construction project gets underway!
Titan Erosion Control has partnered with HomeAid National Capital Region since 2010, supporting our mission through 17 renovation projects and investing nearly $45,000 in our communities. The company, whose work for HomeAid has included everything from grading and landscaping to structural preparations, is currently working with us at our Good Shepherd Peace House project in Purcellville. Find out more about this valued HomeAid partner!
Q: How did you first find out about HomeAid, and what has inspired you to help support our mission through 17 renovation projects?
A: Titan first learned about HomeAid through our shared network in the industry, and HomeAid’s mission to provide safe and stable housing for those in need resonated with our own values. Every project, we’re reminded of the lasting impact we can make in our community. This opportunity to support such a critical cause has continuously inspired our team to be involved, and seeing the tangible changes these projects bring to people’s lives makes every effort worthwhile.
Q: How would you describe your experience of working with HomeAid to others?
A: Working alongside HomeAid and various trade partners fosters a sense of community and collaboration that’s incredibly rewarding. One of the best parts of these projects is the mutual support and teamwork across trades, which creates a dynamic environment where everyone is working toward a common goal—and changing lives through construction and renovation. To any trades considering getting involved with Home Aid, we would say it’s an incredibly rewarding experience, and it offers the chance to use your skills to make a difference for those in need.
Q: What does a typical HomeAid project look like for Titan?
A: We handle demo work to prep areas for other trades, build retaining walls, conduct minor excavation work, and install sod to create stable and usable outdoor spaces. Additionally, we perform concrete repairs along walkways, install construction fences for safety, and ensure each site is well-prepared and functional.
Q: What have you been most surprised to learn about homelessness since your work with HomeAid began?
A: Working with HomeAid has shown us just how complex and varied the causes of homelessness are. This understanding has strengthened our commitment to supporting projects that provide stability and hope for people facing diverse challenges.
Thank You!
Our sincere gratitude to Toll Brothers, which made HomeAid National Capital Region the beneficiary of its annual golf tournament in October. More than 130 golfers came together to support HomeAid’s mission, and the tournament raised over $124,000, all of which will be donated to HomeAid. Thank you to Toll Brothers for your unwavering support.
Meanwhile, over 45 trade partners joined Pulte Homes’ annual Charity Golf Tournament, also raising over $100,000 to benefit our mission! We know it takes a lot of work to host events like this, and your dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed.
It’s especially important to note that the money raised by these third-party charity golf tournaments is unrestricted, which means when HomeAid needs to purchase bunkbeds for a men’s shelter or playground equipment for an after-school program, we can do so immediately.
Also in October, the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association presented to us a check for $2,500 at their Annual Great American Living Awards (GALA) – thank you, NVBIA, for your long partnership and support!
Builder & Developer Magazine
In the most recent issue of Builder & Development Magazine, HomeAid Capital Region CEO Kristyn Burr was invited to byline a feature article on page 54 about our most recent renovation project with Operation Renewed Hope. Kristyn chose to highlight the ORH project, which serves veterans and their families, in honor of the November 11 Veteran’s Day.
Care Day
Nine volunteers from the George Mason University Masters Real Estate Development Alumni Group recently participated in a deep cleaning project at a property owned by ALIVE! The nonprofit, for which we recently finished a renovation project, provides support to Alexandrians struggling with food insecurity and economic disparity. Each month, they help roughly 20,000 Alexandrians secure essential food, respond to financial emergencies and meet other basic needs such as housing and furniture. Thank you, Care Day volunteers for your time and service!
Welcome!
Join us in a warm welcome to Amanda Banegas, who has joined our team as a Howard University Fellow after being awarded a prestigious fellowship from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Currently pursuing a doctorate in history at Howard University, Amanda is committed to continuing her work within the community and brings with her knowledge and experience from her previous work with at-risk communities as a dedicated service provider in New York City and in the District of Columbia. We’re excited to have her on our team through the spring.
GolfAid
Thursday, March 13, 2025
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
TopGolf Loudoun
20356 Commonwealth Center Dr.
Ashburn, VA 20147
Registration Opens Next Month
