Laura Roman had been working with Stacy for more than five years when Stacy’s son called. He had just separated from active duty and was moving into civilian life. He needed a real estate agent.
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Stacy is an Air Force veteran and Gold Star spouse whose husband died in the line of duty. What began as a real estate relationship became something more, with Roman serving as agent and advocate, as well as a friend, through remodel projects, long-term planning and the work of rebuilding after loss.
Roman is one of thousands of real estate agents affiliated with Homes for Heroes, a program founded after Sept. 11, 2001, to connect heroes with agents and lenders who understand their needs.
Laura Roman
“It is not about transactions,” Roman wrote in a statement provided to Inman. “It is about trust. It is about showing up consistently and understanding that ‘home’ means something different for families who have sacrificed so much.”
Founded after Sept. 11, 2001, by Ruth Johnson, Homes for Heroes connects real estate agents and mortgage lenders with what the organization defines as the hero community: active-duty military, veterans, Gold Star families, teachers, first responders, nurses and doctors. Since its founding, the program has returned nearly $192 million to heroes at closing, with nearly $80 million going to military and veteran families specifically.
In the past two full years, the organization served nearly 4,500 military hero families and returned more than $15 million in hero rewards. The program’s 501(c)(3) foundation has distributed $622,500 in grants to 58 military-focused organizations and is on track to eclipse $2 million in total grants given this June.
What Memorial Day means at Homes for Heroes
Interim CEO Amit Kulkarni, a first-generation immigrant who stepped into the role six weeks ago after founder Johnson took a sabbatical, said Memorial Day carries weight he did not anticipate when he joined.
Amit Kulkarni
“This country is, despite all the stuff you hear in the news, still pretty great,” he told Inman. “That’s not free. There is real sacrifice that goes into ensuring that we have the freedoms and the lifestyle that we have.”
Homes for Heroes marks the holiday through affiliate-coordinated events, including flag placement at Phoenix Memorial Cemetery with the Sergeants Association, according to the organization. It also coordinates Wreaths Across America placements each December and a POW/MIA recognition event at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
How the program works
Affiliated agents and lenders work with heroes in their local market from search through closing. Heroes receive a direct financial reward after closing, timed intentionally to avoid interfering with down payment assistance programs that many depend on to get into a home. A portion of program earnings also funds the Homes for Heroes Foundation, which issues grants to organizations serving heroes in need.
“The bulk of the money goes directly to the hero,” Kulkarni said. “You’re giving back to somebody who has given their life to the community.”
Heroes as defined by the program — a category that includes military, veterans, teachers, healthcare professionals and first responders — represent an estimated 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 U.S. households, based on federal workforce data. Homes for Heroes puts that share at roughly 30 percent of the buying market.
The agent opportunity
For agents, Kulkarni frames participation as a business case as much as a mission. Agents who build relationships in the hero community, he said, are better positioned for referral-based businesses than those chasing portal leads.
Roman’s account of her work with Stacy reflects that dynamic. After five years, Stacy referred her son when he left active duty. She has since referred friends and co-workers.
“Serving military families has changed me profoundly,” Roman wrote. “It has taught me that the greatest impact we can make is not measured by sales volume, but by the relationships we build and the way we care for people long after closing day.”
Heroes who have gone through the program describe the experience in weekly testimonials, which the organization calls Hero Gold:
“This is a great program supporting our veterans and first responders. Thank you so much for your support.” — Shane, Army, VA
“The overwhelming process of buying my first home was turned into simple steps, and everything was done so quickly.” — Christian, Army, AZ
“Our real estate agent explained everything thoroughly, answered any questions we had and made this a very smooth process of buying our first home.” — Mallory, EMS, OH
Serving Gold Star families
Gold Star families are eligible for the full range of the program’s services, though Kulkarni said homeownership is rarely the most pressing need for a surviving family, and agents working with this community should understand that distinction.
“It’s not really about buying a home at that time,” he said. “It’s about giving them a shoulder to lean on. Let’s put the human being first.”
Kulkarni said the most effective affiliates are those who lead with listening rather than transaction. For Gold Star spouses managing loss alongside finances, housing stability and family needs, a knowledgeable agent can serve as a connector to resources they may not know exist.
He pointed agents to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which he said offers a mortgage-free home program for surviving Gold Star spouses with young children, as one resource worth knowing. VA loans, state-level survivor benefits and other programs are also available, he said, and a well-connected affiliate can help families navigate options they might not find on their own.
“These families have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Kulkarni said. “Whatever we can do to help them get some stability in a very challenging time, that’s what it’s all about.”
