Homes for Heroes (HFH) wants to find a home for every public service worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their efforts to lower housing costs and cover the fees associated with buying a home are available for first responders, teachers, healthcare workers and military personnel. In the 20 years since the organization’s founding, HFH has helped thousands of families save millions of dollars on their home-buying journey. Now HFH is taking on a new challenge. The organization is helping to open the first transition center for firefighters burned on the job.
Below, Bob Stanke, vice president of marketing and business intelligence at HFH, sat down with HousingWire to answer a few questions about the new Center.
HousingWire: Why did Homes for Heroes (HFH) contribute to the construction of the Transitional Healing Center for firefighters in Minneapolis?
Bob Stanke: Our mission for over 20 years has been to thank heroes for all they do in serving our community. While most of those “thank you’s” come in the form of a ‘Hero Reward’ check after the completion of a real estate transaction, our foundation extends the thank you beyond that. Through a grant from our HFH Foundation, we wanted to help support the fire-fighters who are recovering from injuries. This is just our small way of saying thank you in a different way.
HW: What do you envision as the future of HFH as it relates to the Transitional Healing Center?
BS: We are proud to have been able to be a part of the Center’s construction and grand opening event. Moving forward, we hope to be involved with the Center’s evolution. We’ll help with volunteer opportunities and support the Healing Center’s long-term mission of helping firefighters and their families heal.
HW: What HFH accomplishment are you most proud of?
BS: We are proud of assisting in the costs of building this important healthcare option for firefighters in the area. Many great organizations rallied around the cause and helped bring this project to life. We are proud to be aligned with so many great organizations that understand how important it is to help heroes in need.
HW: How can other housing industry professionals get involved?
BS: At Homes for Heroes, our mission is to thank every hero in the nation. With over 60 million heroes in our country, that is no small task! It is going to take all of us to express our thanks to all heroes. We would ask everyone to take the time to thank a hero today. That will help us achieve our mission. Also, where opportunities pop up — like the Transitional Healing Center did for us — get involved, even in a small way. Every-thing helps.
This was originally featured in the April/May Issue of HousingWire Magazine. To read the full issue, click here.
