Serving Those Who Served with Habitat for Humanity ReStore Chicago

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Join Habitat for Humanity ReStore Chicago in Serving Those Who Served.

Habitat for Humanity’s Veterans Build is a national initiative aimed at providing volunteer, housing and employment opportunities to U.S. veterans, military service members and their families.


The five areas we focus on

1. Affordable housing and home preservation
   Affordable housing is the centerpiece of our Veterans Initiative; however, our affiliates have expanded programs to maintain and preserve homes. Projects from exterior painting to roofing to weatherization make existing houses more energy efficient and affordable. In partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, Habitat developed the Repair Corps program to offer critical home repairs to veteran homeowners.
2. Volunteer mobilization
   We aim to provide volunteer experiences that can bring together veterans and military families with their neighbors, bridging the gap and easing the transition to civilian life.
3. Employment
   We capitalize on skill sets gained from military service with recruitment targeting veterans as Habitat for Humanity International/local affiliate employees, board members and extended volunteers, national service members, interns and fellows.
4. Education
   We are training our affiliates to better understand the military culture and increase effectiveness in interacting with veterans and military families. We also offer financial education and literacy programs to support successful home ownership with veteran and military partner families.
5. Honor
   Throughout the year, we host special events which pay tribute to veterans, raise awareness and mobilize volunteers.

• Nearly 4 million veteran households pay more than 30 percent of income for housing.
• More than 1.5 million of these households pay more than 50 percent of income for housing (severe cost burden).
• Nearly 1 million veterans who own homes are severely cost burdened, despite having access to VA loans and other assistance.
• A substantial subset of veterans struggles economically. Approximately 1.4 million veterans (6.7 percent) live in poverty.

Volunteers will work in our brand new ReStore receiving and processing donations, answering guest questions in the showroom and assisting with purchases.

The ReStore is Habitat's own home improvement store, stocked with new and gently used donated goods whose sale proceeds support our operating cost and carry forward our mission of building homes, communities and hope.