Meritage Homes partners with Operation Homefront to build homes for veteran families

KYLE — To help veterans and their families thrive in the communities they have worked to protect, Meritage Homes has been partnering with Operation Homefront for 11 years to build and donate brand new homes for military families. On Monday, June 17, they broke ground on a house in Kyle.

“We’re honored to take part in these donations with Operation Homefront to provide deserving military families with a place to call home,” said Phillippe Lord, CEO of Meritage Homes. “Military members, veterans and their families are the backbone of our country and we’re proud to give back to them. We hope these homes will help them build roots in their communities.”

Meritage Homes is the fifth-largest public homebuilder in the U.S., based on homes closed in 2023, according to James Saunders, division president of Meritage Homes’ Austin Division. The builder offers entry-level and first move-up homes in 20 markets across the country, with operations spanning across Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

For more than 20 years, national nonprofit organization Operation Homefront has provided programs that offer relief through critical financial assistance and transitional housing programs, resiliency through permanent housing and caregiver support services, as well as recurring family support programs and services.

As part of Operation Homefront’s Permanent Homes for Veterans program, Meritage partners with the nonprofit to build and donate brand new, mortgage-free homes to deserving military families. 2023 marked the 10 year anniversary of the partnership, totaling 18 homes that Meritage donated throughout its markets. This year’s donations will bring the total to 20, including a more than 1,300 square-foot home in Kyle.

“Each of these donated homes from Meritage features modern design and high-end finishes, as well as energy-efficient features and smart home automation to enhance the home’s sustainability. Operation Homefront identified a need in the area and Meritage was able to fulfil that request with a home in Kyle, Texas,” Saunders said. “The home that will be donated is in the Waterstone Crossing community. It’s a beautiful new community that is close to local shopping, restaurant and entertainment options, as well as outdoor activities like Lake Kyle and the Plum Creek Golf Course. The home features three bedrooms and two baths and the community will have great amenities like a swimming pool, trails, a playground and pickleball courts.”

The veteran families who receive these donated homes through the partnerships are not required to pay a mortgage, Saunders said.

“Operation Homefront supports the veteran family through a financial success program over a two-year period that is focused on money management to ensure that homeownership is successful for the family, Once the program is completed, the family is deeded the home,” he said.

Operation Homefront selects the veteran recipient through its Permanent Homes for Veterans program for the new home that Meritage builds and donates. Meritage’s suppliers and trade partners come together with the company to contribute time and materials at no cost. Their donations ultimately make the construction of these homes possible. In addition, veterans employed by Meritage get to work on a project that gives back to one of their own.

According to Saunders, the home donations are life-changing for veterans and their families who need support to thrive in the community.

“By providing a mortgage-free home to these families in a Meritage community, we are giving them a place to call home on stable footing,” Saunders said. “We’re helping them build roots and establish themselves in their communities.”

The family who will receive the new home in Kyle will be announced and get their keys in November around Veterans Day.

To learn more about Operation Homefront’s Permanent Homes for Veterans program, visit www.operationhomefront.org/permanent-homes-for-veterans. More information about the partnership can be found at www.meritagehomes.com/operation-homefront.