SILVER GROVE, Ky. — It's taken months of hard work and determination in the middle of a global pandemic to complete the mission, but a Northern Kentucky non-profit is about to give away a home to one local veteran.
"Other than digging out the foundation and pouring a new foundation, this is an entire new home. And to have that done with volunteers amazes me," said Felicia Huesman, founder of the The Barracks Project.
The abandoned home on Mary Ingles Highway was given to The Barracks Project by the city of Silver Grove.
Shortly after taking possession of the home, local firefighters used the home for training, learning how to search through walls for fire hot spots. That training doubled as a way to demo the inside of the home as part of the remodel.
"There was not one person, company, contractor that didn't find a way to donate as much as they could, whether that was we paid for materials and they donated the labor or vice versa. It's just amazing how it worked out," said Huesman.
Now the home is almost complete with just a few more appliances to go into the kitchen and the outside landscaping to go before it's ready to be given away.
"For all of us it's like it just feels surreal," said Huesman.
It's been a road filled with structural surprises and several layers of roofing material to rip off and replace. The journey will be well worth the end result when one veteran applicant will be chosen to receive the keys to the front door.
"Once we have the finalists, our volunteer board will meet with the city of Silver Grove City Council members and then we'll review those applications together and determine who will be the newest member of the Silver Grove community," said Huesman.
If you're a veteran with an honorable discharge and financial proof to be able to cover utilities and living costs, you can apply on the non-profit's website. The deadline to apply is July 4, 2021.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
