PALMDALE – Recently, United States Navy veteran Allen Evans went to check out the progress on his new home under construction in CalVet’s Palmdale Residential Enriched Neighborhood (REN).

Before he could reach the home, he and his wife, Cecilia, were approached by a few residents of the development.

“They said, ‘Can I help you?’” Evans said.

As he talked to them and told them he will be their neighbor sometime this summer, Evans saw firsthand how the residents looked out for each other and provided the ultimate neighborhood watch. He knew at that very moment he would fit right in, and immediately felt the kind of camaraderie he cherished in the Navy where “No one is left behind. All for one and one for all.”

On May 12, Evans and five other veterans received ceremonial keys to their homes during an emotional presentation at Palmdale. They’ll get the real keys when the homes are completed.

These veterans aren’t simply buying affordable homes. They are investing in their families’ futures. They are committed to bettering themselves and their families. They are buying into a true community. They are putting their own elbow grease into the homes through 500 hours of sweat equity, along with training that will help them succeed financially. They will have access to a wide range of services that have proven to be invaluable to veterans and their families.

Among them, Army veteran James Olivas said the home he is buying enables him to keep his job with a military contractor and stay in the area.

“My wife and I thought about moving out of state because of the housing prices,” Olivas said. “This makes it affordable to have a home here (in California).”

Marine veteran Andre Morales and his wife, Denitza, can soon move into their own home; meaning they’ll no longer have to stay with relatives.

“We’re very grateful that we’re getting this opportunity,” Denitza said. “We can have a future for our daughter.”

They will have neighbors like Marcos Huerta, an Air Force veteran who moved into his new home in December 2021. Having put in his 500 hours, Huerta since has volunteered 2,000 more hours to help other veterans enjoy the great American dream of home ownership.

“Giving back while we can,” said Huerta, who said the veterans already living there are like family, not only watching out for each other’s homes but helping those with great needs including health issues. “In most cases, you purchase a home and that’s it. We met the neighbors before we moved in. It makes everybody more involved. When one neighbor’s fence blew over, we all came over and helped put it back up.”

When another was hospitalized, they visited to show their love and support, he said. Huerta has already met some of the veterans who will move in this summer, and will welcome them as he was welcomed.

These support-based communities are the reason for, and the heart of, the CalVet REN program. CalVet finances the homes in a collaboration with Homes 4 Families, a non-profit that works with veterans to establish their eligibility and help prepare them for the financial and personal responsibilities home ownership demands.

The CalVet REN program offers permanent, affordable home ownership with manageable loan payments, minimal closing costs and fees, and family enrichment services to low-income veterans and their families. This model includes embedded wraparound services—such as financial literacy, trauma-informed care, and proven positive outcomes.

“CalVet is proud to help veterans achieve the goal of home ownership,” CalVet Undersecretary Russell Atterberry said. “This program helps families grow stronger, together. They provide stability.”

To date, the REN program has developed 12 homes in Sylmar, 78 homes in Santa Clarita, and the Palmdale project is slated for 56 homes. Additionally, there is a 26-home development in Riverside County, and a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 12-home neighborhood in North Hollywood was conducted on April 24. CalVet and Homes 4 Families work with city or county officials to make these developments happen.

The program’s successes are the veterans and their families. The numbers validate the effort, said Donna Deutchman, president and CEO of Homes 4 Families.

“We have 15 years of research,” she said, which is updated every two years with the help of California State University-Northridge, which interviews families and compiles the data needed to improve the program. In 2022, information gathered from veterans’ families showed that:

• 90 percent of the families not living on fixed incomes increased their income by 38 percent or more.
• 99 percent of high school students graduated; all but one either went onto college or entered the military.
• 49 percent of households had at least one adult who furthered their education since they were selected for the program.
• 100 percent of the families have health insurance.
• There were zero foreclosures.

“It’s been a life-changing experience,” said Air Force veteran Warren Tymony, who served during the Vietnam War and moved into the Palmdale REN in 2021. “I am grateful for the opportunity. I am thankful.”

Thankful, indeed, for his home, for the neighbors he already knows, and for the new ones he may already have met and greeted.

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For more information on obtaining a CalVet Home Loan, visit www.calvet.ca.gov/calvet-programs/home-loans or call us directly during regular business hours at (866) 653-2510. We are happy to help.