(Atlanta, Georgia) According to the 2018 report The Housing Affordability Struggle of 21st Century Veterans, post-9/11 service members struggle to achieve homeownership at the level of older veterans and have a lower homeownership rate than civilians in general.  At age 20, Army Reservist Arbishua Rojas has no intention of being one of those statistics. Arbishua recently purchased a home from Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) Veterans Program.   ANDP is able to help Rojas and other Veterans thanks to the financial support of The Home Depot Foundation. The Foundation recently renewed its support of ANDP’s program with a grant of $435,000.

 

“We share The Home Depot Foundation’s commitment to our nation’s brave service members. The Foundation’s support enables us to close the homeownership gap among younger veterans and address housing needs for all service members,” said John O’Callaghan, ANDP President and CEO. “Nothing changes the financial trajectory of a family-like owning a home. We must continue to work to make sure that younger Veterans have access to the American dream of homeownership.”

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Since the program began in 2013, ANDP has provided affordable housing for 140 Veterans, active duty military, Reserve and Guard members. The program matches qualifying military service personnel with affordable housing options – rental or, as in the case of Arbishua, homeownership.

 

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Atlanta, U.S. Army Reservist and college student Arbishua is the epitome of focus and discipline. After JROTC at Creekside High School, he enlisted in the Army from 2017 to 2018 as a Combat Photographer. He honed his camera skills and captured Army ceremonies, training events, interviews, and daily life. Much of his work has been used in the Army’s marketing materials, and one of the highlights of his job included interviewing highly-ranked officials – one of them being a two-star Army General.

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Now that he’s not on active duty, Arbishua continues to pursue his passions as a film and media major at Georgia State. Becoming a homeowner was also an important part of his plan. He told himself, “When I get out, the first thing I’m going to do is buy a house. I realized all the money I was spending on an apartment – why not put that money into something I can keep”. He became a first-time homebuyer with ANDP at just 20 years old.

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With a veteran’s subsidy from ANDP, Arbishua purchased a newly renovated 3-bed, 2-bath home in Atlanta. His peers are shocked that he has already accomplished homeownership, but Arbishua credits being disciplined and taking advantage of resources like our veterans program as the reasons he gets to enjoy his own home.

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To learn more about ANDP’s Veterans Program, visit www.andphomes.org/veterans or call 404-420-1600.

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About Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership

A Chartered Member of NeighborWorks, ANDP is a private, non-profit organization created in 1991 to promote, create and preserve affordable housing through direct development, lending, policy research and advocacy that result in the equitable distribution of affordable housing throughout the metropolitan Atlanta region. Now in its 27th year, the organization has impacted more than 11,200 homes in metro Atlanta.

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About The Home Depot Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $315 million in veteran causes and improved more than 45,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,200 cities. In 2018, the Foundation pledged an additional $250 million to veteran causes taking the total commitment to half of a billion dollars by 2025.

 

To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit www.homedepotfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and Facebook  + Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation 

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