New homeowner Greg, holding an American flag and the keys to his new house, poses with Veteran Build sponsors. PROVIDED

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties recently held a home dedication for a U.S. Army veteran at its Journey Together Neighborhood in the city of Fort Myers. Greg, a former combat medic, is the first to have a home built in Lee County through Habitat’s new Veterans Build program.

On Feb. 28, Habitat leadership and staff, volunteers and sponsors of the Veterans Build attended the dedication ceremony at Greg’s home, along with fellow veteran and Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson. Last September, the same group gathered at the empty home lot to help raise the exterior walls of Greg’s new home. During the dedication, Habitat gifted Greg a personalized Bible, a key to his new home and an American flag to hang outside his front door.

Following his military service, Greg set his sights on raising a family, attending college and working full-time. His dream of owning a home remained out of reach, though, forcing him to rent and live with a roommate until learning about Habitat’s Affordable Homeownership Program. Turning his dream into reality, Greg completed 300 hours of sweat equity, more than 20 hours of homeownership and financial literacy classes and paid $2,000 for closing costs on his new home.

“The generosity of our community is the cornerstone of initiatives like Veterans Build, which allows us to partner with hardworking veterans like Greg,” said Elisha Baird, vice president of strategic partnerships for Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties. “We are thrilled to celebrate this exciting milestone with Greg as he achieves his dream of homeownership and look forward to partnering with more veterans in our area.”

Veterans Build sponsors of Greg’s home include Beacon Point Associates, Bonita Bay Veterans Council, Dave and Jacque Owens, Midland Trust and Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation.

The Veterans Build initiative highlights the organization’s ongoing commitment to partnering with veterans faced with challenges of affordable housing. The program opens the door for partnerships with sponsors, individual donors, community organizations and volunteers to build homes with veterans to help them achieve their dreams of homeownership.

Situated between McCormick Street and Prospect Avenue, Habitat’s new Journey Together Neighborhood is a 6-acre HOA community in Fort Myers. Planned for 29 single-family homes, the neighborhood features three- and four-bedroom designs ranging from 1,200 to 1,400 square feet.

For more information or to become a sponsor, visit Habitat4Humanity.org/VeteransBuild.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity, visit Habitat4Humanity.org.