Wells Fargo & Home Matters® Movement Create Independent Living for U.S. Veterans

SAN FRANCISCO, June, 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation and Home Matters® movement supporters today announced an effort to re-model and refurbish five homes across the country to ensure veterans are able to live in safe and healthy housing.  The most recent collaboration between Home Matters and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, known as Home Matters to Veterans, will include "universal design" elements in the homes to allow the veterans to comfortably age-in-place.

With an estimated 10,000 Americans turning 65-years old each day, ageless designs allow people to have more control over how and where they live, enabling them to stay in their homes as they grow older.  

"While this initiative is just five homes for now, it provides a replicable model of various universal design elements that no matter what budget someone has, can be added to help improve their emotional and physical well-being now and into the future," said Dave Brown, CEO of Home Matters. "Because ultimately home is a quality-of-life issue."

Homes in San Francisco, New York City, San Bernardino County, Columbus, GA, and Appalachia will be renovated by Rebuilding Together San Francisco, Rebuilding Together New York City, Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services, NeighborWorks Columbus and FAHE, respectively – all supporters of the Home Matters movement.

Universal design is meant to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The intent of the universal model is to simply life for everyone by making more homes usable by more people at little or no extra cost.  For example, some of the universal design elements in these renovated homes will include features such as: step-free entrances; curb-less showers; multi-height work and storage surfaces and more.  Home Matters and its partners recently released a universal design Toolkit (as part of the Home Today, Home Tomorrow Design Challenge) with features the participating non-profits will be drawing their inspiration from: http://www.homemattersamerica.com/designchallengetoolkit/

A supporter of the Home Matters movement since its inception, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation is focused on creating affordable and sustainable housing initiatives that serve low-and moderate-income households – including for seniors, veterans, and families – through community revitalization efforts.

"We believe everyone deserves a decent, safe place to call home," said Martin Sundquist executive director of the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. "We applaud this effort by Home Matters to make pointed improvements to each of the homes and meaningful differences for the veterans living in them."

More than 40 percent of homeless vets are between ages 31 and 50.  Poverty, lack of support from groups or networks, and substandard housing put about 1.4 million veterans at risk for homelessness*.

About Home Matters®
Home Matters is a national movement designed to ensure that every American lives in a safe, nurturing environment with access to education, healthcare, public spaces and community services. A key part of what we are doing is re-defining the American Dream. We believe the New American Dream is a societal commitment to improve and balance quality of life and that Home is our nation's common denominator. We exist to raise funds and build awareness of the need for more affordable homes and better communities across the country. We're a national coalition with over 375 nonprofit, government and corporate partners working hard toward ambitious goals over the next decade. www.HomeMattersAmerica.com

About the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation
In 2016, the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation donated nearly $20 million in support of affordable housing initiatives serving low-and moderate-income households – including for seniors, veterans, and families – through community revitalization efforts. Since its inception in 1993, the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has invested more than $190 million to such efforts, along with mobilizing more than 4.7 million team member volunteer hours to build and rehabilitate nearly 7,100 homes and counting. www.wellsfargo.com/about/wfhf_oview.

*http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/homeless-veterans-statistics/2017/02/03/id/651049/

SOURCE Home Matters

Related Links

http://www.HomeMattersAmerica.com