SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE: MTH ), a leading U.S. homebuilder, will donate its twelfth home to a military family through Operation Homefront. Together, Meritage and Operation Homefront will place a military family into a brand new, mortgage-free, and energy-efficient Meritage home in Commerce City, Colorado, which is east of Denver.
Operation Homefront will select the recipient for the new home through its Homes on the Homefront (HOTH) program. Families in the HOTH program work directly with Operation Homefront caseworkers and financial counselors for 1-3 years to learn how to be successful home owners. This life-changing opportunity will be announced on September 11, with keys awarded to the family on Veterans Day.
This is the sixth year Meritage Homes has built and donated new homes to Operation Homefront, a leading national charity building strong, stable, and secure military families.
“We are excited to build on our relationship with Operation Homefront and place another deserving military family in a Meritage home,” said Steve Hilton, chairman and CEO of Meritage Homes. “For years, Meritage Homes has been committed to giving back to the community, and to the men and women who serve our country. We look forward to presenting a Colorado military family with a quality, energy-efficient home this November.”
The 1,837-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch home will include a two-car garage, private study/flex room, a covered outdoor living area and the M.Connected Home ™ Automation Suite. It will also include an array of money-saving features, such as ENERGY STAR® appliances, spray-foam insulation, and energy-efficient windows, that cut heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent.
Last year, a home was donated in a Meritage community in Northlake, Texas. Army Specialist William Robbin, his wife Nikki, and their three children received that home. “It’s such a blessing and still feels like a dream every day,” said Robbin. “Thank you, Operation Homefront and Meritage Homes, for everything you do for veterans. It’s such a wonderful area for us and everything we have is already here.”
In 2017, the HOTH program received 5,125 applications and has placed over 600 military families with permanent housing since inception in 2012. The program offers military families the foundation for long-term stability and resiliency. Operation Homefront has deeded nearly 500 homes to military families, at a value of well over $64 million in home equity.
“We are thrilled to have Meritage’s continued support as we seek to make home ownership a reality for military families,” said retired Brig. Gen. John I. Pray Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “Our military families have done and continue to do so much for all of us and we are deeply grateful the entire Meritage team shares our commitment to help this special group of our fellow Americans thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.”
For more information about the program, please visit www.homesonthehomefront.org .
About Meritage Homes Corporation: Meritage Homes is the seventh-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2017. Meritage Homes builds and sells single-family homes for first- time, move-up, and active adult buyers in markets including California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Meritage Homes has designed and built over 110,000 homes in its 32-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage Homes is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award every year since 2013 for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding.
For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com.
About Operation Homefront: Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families.
For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
| MEDIA INQUIRIES: | Jason E. Moody, Sr. Manager Housing Programs Communications |
| Operation Homefront | |
| Jason.Moody@OperationHomefront.org | |
| 210.243.1657 | |
| Lauren Hendeles, Meritage Homes Corporation | |
| Media@meritagehomes.com | |
| 602.750.5934 |
