BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio — It wasn't long ago a home on Columbia Drive was slated for demolition. Now, it's almost move-in ready for a formerly homeless local veteran.
“We take homes in the community that have been abandoned and we completely remodel them and then furnish them for a previously homeless veteran," Scot Rhoda, founder and CEO of Ride With Valor said.
Studies showmore than 600 veterans remain homeless in Ohio.
Dozens of volunteers gathered at the home Friday, to spruce up everything including the roof, bathrooms, cabinets and backyard.
But fixing up this home means more to Don Ray Thompson Jr. than just about anyone else on this job site.
That's because he’s the veteran that will move in when it's all done.
"The worst thing you can think of, and not just being a veteran but just being an individual, is not having a place to call your home and not having a place a roof over your head when it rains," he explained.
Thompson, a father of almost-two-year-old twins, served in the Army, Navy, and Merchant Marines, and admits reintegration was not easy for him.
"The prices of apartments and not having enough room or space or a place to call your own, especially if you're re-establishing yourself and building a bigger family, a house means a lot," he said.
This is the fourth house Ride With Valor has helped restore in the last couple of years.
"Most of these houses are selling $200,000-210,000," Rhoda explained. "The veteran that moves in here will have the opportunity to buy the house for $100,000, giving him automatic equity in the house and incentive to keep making the changes that he needs to make to re-integrate back into society and the community."
The renovation comes as the nonprofit recently received a $1 million grant to help area veterans, who meet income requirements, with safety, energy saving and accessibility upgrades to their homes.
"If we can make some changes to the home to keep them home and safe and keep their costs down, those are the types of projects we’re looking to complete," Rhoda explained.
Funding for the nonprofit comes from donations including The Home Depot Foundation, Cuyahoga Land Bank and other local companies.
Restoring not just homes, but faith for those who need it.
"You keep hope and believe in something greater than yourself and people like this showup and come to your aid," Thompson said. "That's all that really matters."
Organizers told News 5 they hope Don Ray Thompson Jr. and his twins can move into their home in about a month.
To learn more about the program, click here.
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