New Hampshire HBA Provides Free Home Renovations for Local Veterans
The veteran's family poses for a photo with their new walkway.
With the mission of giving back and ensuring veterans across the state have a better quality of life, the New Hampshire Home Builders Association (NHHBA) created the Builders Care NH Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping those in need.
Founded in 2015, the foundation runs the Hammers for Veterans program, which provides free life-safety and accessibility modifications for veterans with disabilities and those who cannot afford repairs. Whether a wheelchair ramp, new roof, safe walkway or widened doorways are needed, Hammers for Veterans is there to remove barriers and support community members.
“Doing something to give back to them so they can live comfortably in their home is priceless,” said Builders Care NH Foundation President Lynette Rogers. “Giving someone a hand up and not a handout is a big thing we can do for them.”
Rogers said the program has completed about 32 projects since it began and averages about four per year, depending on the requests they receive. Veterans and their families submit requests, and the foundation coordinates with local builders and remodelers to complete the work.
NHHBA members donate their labor, money and materials to help complete projects, with a focus on veterans with health and safety needs. Rogers said sometimes they need specially licensed electricians or plumbers and the program pays out of pocket, but oftentimes a member completes the work or does it at cost.
“The foundation was created to help people in our community,” Rogers said. “It was a way for the builders to give back.”
Hammers for Veterans has completed three projects in 2025 with a fourth underway, including installing a wheelchair ramp for a veteran with Parkinson’s Disease. In August, it renovated the walkway for an Army veteran undergoing chemotherapy treatment to help her get in and out of the house more easily. The project was completed in one day thanks to a volunteer crew, and a local manufacturer donated the necessary materials.
The foundation’s funding comes from home builders associations across the state. One HBA hosts an annual golf tournament to raise money, while others contribute through auctions and even yard sales. Rogers said they once had a booth at the state home show and raffled off tickets for a canoe, and a similar event once raised $15,000 to support the program.
Looking ahead, Rogers said the foundation hopes to expand its outreach efforts in 2026, especially with new board members joining the organization. But for now, she’s proud of the impact they’ve made on their community. She said she loves getting messages from the people it’s helped and that people are very appreciative of what Hammers for Veterans does.
“Meeting with each veteran and seeing what they’ve sacrificed for their country [is very important to us],” Rogers said. “From our home builders’ standpoints, they’ve said that giving back and being able to see what they’re doing is very fulfilling.”