This December, The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Community Solutions to provide surprise rental assistance for one month to 58 local veterans, including former U.S. Marine Corps Recon/Special Forces agent Glenn Jones. Jones is currently living at Community Solutions’ Conway Residence – a housing residence for homeless veterans, designed to aid in ending veteran homelessness in the District of Columbia.
Jones, a Vietnam vet turned train operator and bus driver, was living in various shelters prior to becoming a resident of Conway Residence in January 2017. Jones pays tribute to a social worker he met at a shelter for introducing him to the Conway Residence, “I thank that social worker to this day for getting me here.” The apartment provides him a safe environment to live independently within a community of fellow veterans.
Today, Jones enjoys giving back to his community, “When I’m out in public and there’s a person who needs assistance getting from point A to point B, being I’ve learned the transit system here in Washington, D.C., I love helping people get to where they need to go,” Jones said. So much so, his kindness was highlighted with the inclusion of his likeness within a local Conway mural titled “neighbors and friends.”
The surprise rental assistance in Washington, D.C. makes up 58 of 500 rental or mortgage payments The Home Depot Foundation’s Operation Surprise campaign is covering, expanding on the Foundation’s veteran housing program that aims to assist with the unique challenges many veterans from across the country are facing in 2020. There are so many on the frontlines serving communities right now – active military, veterans, first responders, essential workers, healthcare workers, teachers and many more. Operation Surprise celebrates their selfless spirit by delivering hope, lifting spirits, providing assistance and putting good into action.
Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot since more than 35,000 of the company’s associates are veterans or active-duty military. In 2018, The Home Depot Foundation committed an additional $250 million to veteran causes taking the total to half a billion by 2025.
This year marks The Home Depot Foundation’s tenth seasonal giving campaign. Operation Surprise 2020 runs from Veterans Day, November 11, through December 31. This year also marks the ninth year of the Foundation working with Community Solutions to end veteran homelessness.
WHO: Spokespeople available for interviews include:
- Glenn A. Jones, Conway Residence veteran resident and recipient
- Erica Headlee, The Home Depot Foundation, Partnerships Manager
ASSETS:
CONTACT: For more information, please contact Payton Taylor at payton.taylor@mslgroup.com or 814-460-5081.
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 $350 million in veteran causes and improved more than 48,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,500 cities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and Facebook + Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
About Community Solutions
Community Solutions is a nonprofit that works to create a lasting end to homelessness that leaves no one behind. The organization leads Built for Zero, a national initiative of more than 80 cities and counties working to measurably end homelessness, one population at a time. Using a data-driven methodology, these communities have changed how local homeless response systems work and the impact they can achieve. Thirteen communities have reached functional zero, and 45 communities have achieved a measurable reduction. Learn more at www.community.solutions or @BuiltforZero.
