- May 23, 2026
Four local veterans will soon have a place to call home, thanks to a partnership between West Volusia Habitat for Humanity and Volusia County's Volusia Values Veterans Program. Habitat for Humanity is completing construction on four houses on East Walts Avenue in DeLand, with Volusia County Veterans Services staff and local volunteers lending a hand for the final push.
Five Volusia County veterans services officers and a corrections officer joined fellow veterans for a two-day volunteer effort May 21 and 22, painting and landscaping the homes.
Volusia County's involvement extended well beyond the volunteer days. The county's Community Assistance Division provided $79,400 in State Housing Initiatives Partnership funds to Habitat for Humanity to help fund construction. The households may also receive assistance funding to help with the downpayment. Veterans Services staff also helped identify veterans for the program and promoted fundraising events supporting the builds.
Some of the new homeowners came through Halifax Urban Ministries' Barracks of Hope program, which provides transitional housing to veterans who have faced homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges
West Volusia Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization whose vision is a world where everyone has a safe, comfortable place to live. Families and individuals in need of decent, affordable housing can apply for homeownership with West Volusia Habitat for Humanity.
The Volusia Values Veterans Program connects veterans with County services, community partners, and employment opportunities. Learn more at www.volusia.org/V3P.
"Stable housing is one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting veterans in our community," said Scott Olson, director of Volusia County Veterans Services. "The Volusia Values Veterans Program exists to connect our veteran neighbors with resources, and – with a little help from fellow veterans who showed up to paint and plant – this is exactly what this program is about."
