HBA Helps Gold Star Family Achieve Homeownership
A gold star family is one step closer to achieving the American Dream of homeownership thanks to Operation: Coming Home (OCH), an initiative of the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County (N.C). The program builds and gives away Hero Homes to military members and their families thanks to the generosity of local home builders and subcontractors.
The Bradley family is the recipient of a home this year. Staff Sgt. Juantrea T. Bradley, 28, of Greenville, N.C., died on March 12, 2008, in Tallil, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was hit by indirect fire. He received many awards and decorations for his dedication and service, including a Purple Heart. He is survived by his wife, Ava Lanette Bradley, three sons and one daughter.
“The first 5-6 years, it was really rough,” Ava Lanette Bradley, told a local news station. “Then, you rely on your faith, which we were, you know, a faith abundant family before then. He wasn’t afraid of death. So, I feel like you did what you were supposed to do. He was like, I do this for my country. He did what he needed to do. And now, I have to do what I have to do.”
Earlier this year, Bradley thought she was invited to attend an initial meeting at a model home with a builder and developer as part of the application process for OCH. When the family arrived at the model home, to their surprise they learned they were selected as this year’s recipient. On Oct. 6, OCH held a “Sign the Studs” event to mark the halfway point of the new build.
“For us, it’s really special,” said Alaina Money-Garman, Garman Homes CEO, the home builder for the Bradley family. “To be able to build a home for another woman to have a woman own company building for a widow of a fallen soldier is really special for all of us.”
“It is difficult to measure the amount of pride and patriotism that our involvement with Operation: Coming Home brings to our members and our leaders,” said Paul Kane, executive officer of the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County. “Honestly, the Key Ceremony, when we hand over the keys of the beautiful new home to a recipient, is one of the favorite parts of my job.”
OCH was created by a group of local veterans and members from the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County in 2007 to serve severely wounded veterans. The Bradley family is the 27th recipient of an OCH Hero Home.
Latest from NAHBNow
Oct 06, 2025
Make Fire Prevention Part of Your Jobsite Safety CultureOctober 5-11 is National Fire Prevention Week, an annual public outreach and awareness campaign by the National Fire Protection Association.
Oct 03, 2025
NAHB's Monthly Update Features Government Shutdown Talking PointsThe update provides the latest messaging framework to help members articulate housing priorities and latest news related to the recent government shutdown and new tariffs.
Latest Economic News
Oct 03, 2025
Supply-Side Cost Pressures Drove Housing as Inflation Leader in 2024Though the rate of inflation peaked in June 2022, consumer prices continued to increase throughout 2023 and 2024 as inflation drove further price growth, according to 2024 CPI review from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Oct 02, 2025
Square Foot Prices Moderate in 2024Median square foot prices for new single-family detached (SFD) homes started in 2024 grew modestly, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest Survey of Construction (SOC) data. For custom, or contractor-built, homes, the median price was $166 per square foot of floor space, up slightly from $162 in 2023.
Oct 02, 2025
17% of NAHB Builders Built Age-Restricted Housing in 2024Only 17% of NAHB builder members build age-restricted housing for people age 55 or older, according to 2024 Member Census. This is up two percentage points from the previous year. However, this share has remained within a narrow band (15%-17%) since the question was added to the member census in 2009.