Habitat for Humanity to Build Home for Local Veteran in Kingston

Under clear blue skies on Saturday, Sept. 28, the South County Habitat for Humanity Home for a Hero project broke ground on a home to be built specifically for a local disabled veteran.

National Grid encouraged other area corporations to participate in the program by issuing a $30,000 challenge grant to a number of its corporate customers and partners. Other contributing organizations include the Electric Boat Employees Association, South Kingstown Rotary, South Kingstown Elks Lodge, and the University of Rhode Island community to name a few. In addition, the Habitat for Humanity program also supports the local economy by utilizing various local vendors for construction needs like lumber, cement and other materials.

"National Grid’s commitment to the Home for a Hero program is one way for our company to help repay the debt we all owe our veterans,” said Timothy F. Horan, president of National Grid in Rhode Island and executive sponsor of the company’s Veteran Employee Resource Group. “South County Habitat for Humanity should be congratulated for helping those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

South County Habitat selected veteran James LeShane to be the recipient of the new home to be built at 130 Old North Road in Kingston. LeShane, a 2010 graduate of the University of Rhode Island's Political Science honors program, plans to live with his 18-year-old daughter, Mary Catherine, in the Old North Village development on the edge of the campus. She also plans to attend URI to study international engineering.

LeShane's new home, as with every Habitat for Humanity house, will be constructed to meet ADA standards for accessibility and meet Energy Star and LEED standards for energy efficiency and environment sustainability. Houses built for the Home for a Hero program are adapted as needed to accommodate the physical limitations of each disabled veteran homeowner.

LeShane enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1991, completing basic and military police training at Fort McClellan in Alabama. He served with Rhode Island's 119th military police company, completing two cycles as a military police instructor as well. During his service, LeShane spent time in Panama and Germany, as well as Guatemala where he sustained a traumatic brain injury in 1994 from which he continues to suffer symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as seizures.

After graduating from URI, LeShane received an email from a Veterans group announcing Habitat for Humanity's Home for a Hero program. Over the next few years he attended several informational meetings about the program and applied twice, but was turned down mainly because of his credit history. He has since been working to improve his credit score in order to obtain a home loan from Rhode Island Housing, and has been successful, being chosen as one of Habitat's newest Veteran home recipients.

“Being selected for the Habitat home has been a life-changing experience," said LeShane. "Finding out I was selected was the second happiest day of my life; the first being the birth of my daughter.” 

Lou Raymond, Executive Director for South County Habitat welcomed the crowd to Saturday's groundbreaking stating, “This is an exciting time for not only the South County Habitat but also the veterans’ community as a whole. To able to provide a home for a service person who has sacrificed so much for our county is an honor.”

“The creation of good homes involves a number of partners and funding sources and we are pleased to have been able to provide predevelopment funding for this initiative," said Gayle Corrigan, Deputy Director at Rhode Island Housing. "With each new home we create for someone, we honor the service of our veterans, enrich their lives and enhance our community.” 

Construction on LeShane's home will be underway soon with occupancy expected early in 2014. Labor will be provided by community volunteers and other veterans from across Rhode Island, including LeShane himself, who has already completed 100 of his 350 required Habitat service hours while helping to build two Habitat homes in Charlestown.

"I've been putting in what we call my 'sweat equity' for a couple of months now, and I'm going to stay very active with Habitat even after my project is done," he said. "There's a huge need for veteran housing and I can personally advocate and push for that."

"I just need to thank all the people who helped me get here and let them know how grateful I am. Thank you to everyone from Habitat for Humanity, my doctors at the VA hospital, as well as Tim Roughan and John Kennedy from National Grid for their generous donation to the project," he continued. "I'm really happy and grateful to be at a point where I can purchase a house, and I can't wait to be a taxpayer again!"

Habitat for Humanity is always looking for new volunteers. Anyone interested in donating their time or learning more about SCHH can visit www.southcountyhabitat.org for more information.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in the 1970s. Since 1990, South County Habitat for Humanity has built better accessibility to elderly and disabled citizens and more than 40 homes in South County.