Foundation grants $135,000 to CORE to build supportive housing for veterans

NAVAJO NATION – June 23, 2021 – The Home Depot Foundation today announced it has invested more than $135,000 to turn COVID-19 shielding shelters into permanent housing for U.S. military veterans in the Navajo Nation. In partnership with the nonprofit CORE (Community Organized  Relief Efforts), the Foundation will construct 25 shielding structures to enable electricity and other amenities to provide permanent housing solutions for veterans and their families. 

The shelters were originally constructed by CORE to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation. The Home Depot Foundation and CORE will retrofit the shelters with electricity and provision them with hot plates, blinds, space heaters, and smoke and Co2 alarms to provide a safe, comfortable place veterans can call home.  

“With the support from The Home Depot Foundation, we’re able to turn these temporary dwellings into  sustainable housing solutions for the veterans on the Navajo Nation who selflessly served in the military,”  said Laura Cansicio, vice president of partnerships and development at CORE. As part of our commitment to community empowerment, this partnership will employ local community members to support the construction of the shelters for veterans.”  

To date, the Foundation has invested more than $375 million in veteran causes, including making critical  home repairs for combat wounded veterans, providing financial assistance and helping senior veterans age  independently in their own homes.  

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. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $375 million in support of veterans in need and improved more than 50,000 veteran homes and facilities in more than 5,000 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 on Facebook + Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation. 

About CORE

CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a crisis relief nonprofit organization co-founded by Sean  Penn and Ann Lee that is dedicated to saving lives and strengthening communities affected by or  vulnerable to crisis. Within hours of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Penn mobilized a powerful network to  take immediate action. More than 11 years later, CORE continues to lead sustainable programs focused  on four pillars: emergency relief, disaster preparedness, environmental resiliency, and community  building. 

The organization has expanded beyond Haiti to support communities in The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the  United States, and Latin America. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, CORE has been operating free testing  sites across the U.S. alongside local partners, providing essential resources and contact tracing services as  well as part of its integrated approach to combat the pandemic. In 2021, CORE is working with its  partners in the U.S. and internationally to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, and has published a  manual to encourage equity-focused community-based vaccination operations.

More information: www.coreresponse.org/covid19 and follow CORE on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.