Raymond Mendoza, a retired United States Air Force Veteran, has been a homeowner for over 40 years and felt the overwhelming expense of home maintenance on a fixed income. That’s where the USDA Rural Development Section 504 Home Repair Program was able to help.

The Section 504 Home Repair Program provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve, or modernize their homes or provides grants to elderly very -low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Veterans receive priority processing with USDA Rural Development funds and with the help of the ongoing relationships with other agency funds, we partnered up with Cornerstone Community Action Veterans Assistance Program to maximize assistance for Mr. Mendoza.

Mr. Mendoza served 3 years during the Vietnam War.  He comes from a family of service men as his two older brothers also served during this era.  Being a homeowner for over 40 years, the expense and maintenance can sometimes be very overwhelming when you are on fixed income.  Mr. Mendoza applied for a grant to help with his leaking roof and leveling of the foundation that was affecting his health and safety of his home. With the partnership of Cornerstone Community Action Veterans Assistance Program, USDA was able to complete repairs that help bring hope for this hero. 
 
This home repair project was completed in spring of 2021. Mr. Mendoza said he was very thankful for the help he received to restore his home and especially thankful to know that Veterans have not been forgotten.