Injured Veterans Receive Keys to Specially Adapted Homes During National Conventions

Taunton, MA -- Homes for our Troops has been working feverishly with volunteers to complete two "green’ specially adapted barrier free homes for two seriously injured veterans in time for both the up coming Democratic and the Republican National conventions.

The homes for SSG Travis Strong and his family in Golden, Colorado and the home for SGT Marcus Kuboy in Woodbury, MN were completed in four months to be ready for special key presentation ceremonies during both conventions.

Homes for Our Troops assists severely injured Servicemen and Women and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials, professional labor and coordinates the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility.

Homes for Our Troops founder John Gonsalves said, "We are very grateful to American’s credit unions, the National Journal, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee who volunteered to help us raise funds and assemble all the volunteers who helped us complete these two homes."

Both homes have Energy Star Compliant appliances and windows (from Simonton Windows). Both projects utilized advanced framing techniques to ensure maximum insulation for the building envelope while minimizing the amount of lumber used on the project. Lastly, both homes have a Tamarack Whole House Ventilation fan, which will minimize the need for using costly air conditioning in the spring and fall.

"In the Travis Strong’s home we installed a grid-tied 6.21 kW Photovoltaic system that will provide 80-90% of the electricity for the home because Colorado receives 300 days of sunlight per year. In addition we had a donor design and solicit donations for a high-efficiency lighting system throughout the home," said Gonsalves.

The Strong Home will be heated with a geothermal heating system as the primary source of heat and includes radiant floor heating because Strong spends so much time on the floor. Corporate sponsor Watts Radiant supplied that system.

The Sierra Club Foundation recently announced a new partnership with Homes for Our Troops to incorporate green building materials and processes into the homes it builds for severely injured veterans across the country