Operation Homefront selected an Atlanta-based, dual military couple for a mortgage-free Meritage Home. Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE: MTH) and Operation Homefront recently announced that the Shreves family has been selected to enter the Homes on the Homefront (HOTH) program and will receive the keys to a brand new, energy-efficient home in Canton, Ga. The family will be welcomed into the home on November 7, 2019, just in time for Veterans Day.
As part of the HOTH program, U.S. Marine veterans Shandrika and Juval Shreves along with their two children will move into the 1,933-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home donated by Meritage Homes. The family will work directly with housing caseworkers and financial counselors to prepare for homeownership, build up their savings and reduce debt. Upon successful completion of the program, the family will graduate and receive the deed to the home, mortgage-free, providing them with long-term stability and a newfound sense of community involvement.
“Meritage Homes is definitely giving us a step up on giving our family the best way of life. We get to go to sleep without suffering, and struggling, and contemplating. It’s such a big deal,” said Shandrika Shreves.
Shandrika and Juval Shreves, both U.S. Marine veterans, enlisted in 2008. They helped train Marines who were headed to Afghanistan and conducted weapons testing. Both eventually left the service to pursue careers in health sciences and serve their community. After four years of serving in the Marines and 10 years of marriage, the Shreves family is eager to establish roots in Canton.
The single-story home will include a two-car garage, private study/flex room and a covered outdoor living area. It will also come with an array of money-saving features, such as ENERGY STAR®-certified appliances, spray-foam insulation and energy-efficient windows, which cut heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent.
“Since 2013, we have been committed to providing military families a strong, well-built home through our partnership with Operation Homefront and look to continue our promise this year,” said Steve Hilton, CEO of Meritage Homes. “At Meritage Homes, we are deeply thankful for the men and women serving in the Armed Forces who keep our country safe. We are filled with gratitude to be able to welcome the Shreves family into their new, energy-efficient home as they begin their next phase of life.”
Since Operation Homefront’s HOTH program began in 2012, nearly 575 families have been deeded their home, mortgage-free. Operation Homefront has provided more than $80 million dollars in home equity to military families. The homes are donated by corporate partners, including Meritage Homes and other major financial services companies and home builders.
“We are absolutely thrilled to continue our partnership with an incredibly supportive Meritage team and thank them for helping us provide 13 mortgage-free homes to veteran families over the past 6 years,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray, Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “Meritage’s unwavering commitment to this very special and deserving group of our fellow citizens is reflected in their most recent home donation to give dual Marine Corps veterans Shandrika and Juval Shreves and their two children, the opportunity to thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the community they have worked so hard to protect.”
For more information about the Operation Homefront and Meritage Homes partnership, please visit MeritageHomes.com/operation-homefront.