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The Home Depot Foundation Awards $300,000 Grant For Veterans Housing In Basking Ridge

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Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Peabody Properties, Windover Construction and Community Hope team up to bring new veterans housing and services to New Jersey

Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Inc. (AHSC) today announced that The Home Depot Foundation has awarded a $300,000 grant in support of Valley Brook Village II, which will provide permanent, supportive housing for homeless and at-risk veterans.

AHSC, development and management partner Peabody Properties, Inc. and general contractor Windover Construction will construct 50 units of permanent, supportive housing, with priority occupancy for homeless and at-risk veterans. Located on the Lyons Campus of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System, Valley Brook Village II is an extension of Valley Brook Village, which has been providing housing and supportive services to 61 formerly homeless veterans since August 2013.

The new community, which will be managed by full-service real estate firm Peabody Properties, will provide furnished, one bedroom apartments and community space, as well as on-site professional management and supportive service staff to increase residents’ self-sufficiency and wellbeing. Supportive and social services will be provided by co-developer Community Hope, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals – including veterans and their families – overcome mental illness, addiction, homelessness and poverty by providing housing and supportive services.

Construction is slated to begin in September 2015 and Valley Brook Village II is expected to start welcoming veteran residents in early 2017.

The Home Depot Foundation grants are awarded to 501c3 nonprofit organizations that have a proven track record in developing housing for veterans and which address their unique needs with supportive services, including access to counseling and mental and physical health services, vocational training, job placement programs and socialization opportunities. The Foundation has awarded nearly $85 million to date and has helped impact over 17,000 units of veterans housing.

According to AHSC Executive Director, Mike Mattos, The Home Depot Foundation grant will greatly assist AHSC, Peabody Properties and Windover Construction in developing much needed, permanent and affordable housing for New Jersey veterans. “Ending homelessness among our veterans continues to be a top priority for AHSC, Peabody Properties and Windover Construction, and this grant will go a long way in making this a reality,” said Mattos.

“We are committed to providing and preserving affordable housing with supportive services for special populations, such as veterans. We are grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for making these grants available to developers and connecting veterans with the resources they need to help improve their lives and the lives of their families.”