JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville veteran could soon have a new home thanks to “Homes for Our Troops."
The organization has built homes for injured veterans across the country. Most of the materials needed for the projects are donated.
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Jarrod Addison was recently selected to receive a mortgage-free new home. He was injured in Afghanistan when he was shot in the ankle while serving as a military policeman. He may need to have his foot amputated. Addison is married with three children, including a 6-month-old. His family currently lives in a Jacksonville apartment where Addison has already reinjured his ankle going up the stairs.
The single-story home he’ll be receiving will be custom-designed with large rooms to accommodate his needs.
“It gives me the mobility that I need to get around without possibly re-injuring myself or anything like that,” said Addison.
There are some obstacles members of the Addison family have to tackle before they can move in to their new home.
It usually takes 24-36 months from the time a veteran is selected to when they receive their home. The Addisons are well into that time because the organization is struggling to find a custom homebuilder to complete the project.
Despite the struggle to find a builder right now, Homes for Our Troops President Tom Landwermeyer is confident Addison and his family will soon be in their new home.
“They are fiercely independent individuals. But to have to ask somebody for a glass of water to help you with everything you do every minute of the day, not to be able to move around your home or apartment is devastating for them,” Landwermeyer said. “A lot of these guys can’t get into their kids' rooms. They are on different levels where the houses are not conducive to wheelchairs. So they’re just not able to do all of the things that we take for granted day today."
Addison is thankful to the organization and looking forward to not having to worry about obstacles in his new home.
“The impact that they have on veterans lives and their families, I can’t even put that into words. What they do for the servicemen and women, it’s unparalleled to anything else that’s out there right now,” said Addison.