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Property Development

Families cannot move into homes that do not exist, so we renovate and build them.

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Why we develop

Every other program eventually runs into the same wall: supply.

Deposit assistance does nothing in a market with no vacancies. Landlord advocacy only works if there is a landlord with a unit. Our case managers can do everything right and still end the month with a family in a hotel, because in a lot of the places we operate there is simply no affordable unit to move them into.

Property development is our answer to that. We find, acquire, rehabilitate, and develop residential and commercial properties to create housing options for U.S. veterans and first responders — adding to the housing stock rather than competing for it.

A completed row of brick townhomes at golden hour with a Connections for Heroes sign on the lawn, newly developed as housing for veterans and first responders.

AI-generated image. It will be replaced with a real photo as they become available.

What we build

Two tracks, one purpose.

Commercial developments

Apartment buildings, multifamily housing, and stand-alone prefabricated homes — the formats that add the most units the fastest, and that can carry on-site case management where it makes sense.

Residential developments

Townhomes and single-family housing, built or rehabilitated individually or in small clusters, for households ready to move from transitional placement into something permanent.

How a project runs

Find, acquire, rehabilitate, develop.

1 · Find

Identify underused, distressed, or off-market property in regions where our case managers are already seeing more demand than available units.

2 · Acquire

Purchase outright or through partnership, using donated capital, program-related investment, and public financing where it fits.

3 · Rehabilitate

Bring the structure up to code and to our own accessibility standard, so units are usable by disabled residents from day one rather than adapted later.

4 · Develop

Complete construction, place households through our housing program, and keep the property in service for the population it was built for.

Accessibility is designed in, not retrofitted

Adapting an existing home costs several times what building the same feature in during construction does. Every unit we develop is designed against the standard described on our ADA & Smart Home Renovations page — zero-step entry, clear turning radii, blocked-in bathroom walls, and accessible routes — whether or not the first resident needs them.

Development is how the waiting list gets shorter.

This is the program where corporate partners, developers, and major donors move the needle most.

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