CINCINNATI — Before runners took off Saturday morning for the Honoring Our Heroes 5K, a few groups which aim to help local veterans gave a local veteran experiencing homelessness a tiny home.
Warrior Homesteads, a non-profit which makes tiny homes and works with other veterans organizations to house veterans experiencing homelessness, and Kroger's Veterans Association Resource Group, a group of Kroger associates with military experience, partnered with the organizers of the race to give a free tiny home to a veteran.
"A lot of veterans deal with homelessness," Erin Rofles, a Kroger corporate affairs manager, said. "We just wanted to make sure the transition was easy as possible and just kind of take care of someone who’s done so much for our country.”
The tiny home was outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, a full-size bed, kitchen, bathroom and storage space and was built with eco-friendly appliances.
And this is not the only tiny home being given away to help end homelessness among veterans. Glenn Grootegoed, the man who started Warrior Homesteads, plans on giving away as many as his organization sells.
"We are the nation’s first – world's first, as far as I know – buy one, give one free tiny home program,” said Grootegoed. “I've always kind of lived by the moniker, ‘Be the change you want to see.’”
