For media inquiries, please contact Mike Lahrman at communications@operationhomefront.org or call (210) 202-1243.
Operation Homefront and Meritage Homes Award Mortgage-Free Home to Atlanta Veteran Couple
Nov. 7, 2019 —Meritage Homes Corporation and Operation Homefront joined together to thank a local military family for their dedication and service by presenting them with a brand-new, energy-efficient home as part of the Homes on the Homefront (HOTH) program. On November 7, timed with Veterans Day, U.S. Marine veterans Shandrika and Juval Shreves, along with their two children, received the keys to a brand new 1,933-square-foot home in Canton, Georgia.
Through the Homes on the Homefront program, the Shreves will work with a financial counselor and a caseworker to build savings, reduce debt and build relationships in the community.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-story home includes a two-car garage, private study/flex room and a covered outdoor living area. The donated home also includes an assortment of Meritage Homes’ standard money-saving features, such as ENERGY STAR® certified appliances, spray-foam insulation and energy-efficient windows, which can cut heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent.
U.S. Marine veterans, Shandrika and Juval Shreves, enlisted in 2008. As part of their service, they helped train Marines who were headed to Afghanistan and conducted weapons testing. After four years of serving in the Marines, a decade of marriage and two children, the Shreves family is eager to establish roots in Canton. Since leaving the service, both have pursued careers in health sciences while working to serve their community.
“Home ownership is something me and my husband always dreamed of having and it’s so amazing to not only have a house but to have a brand-new home given to you,” said Shandrika. “Meritage Homes is definitely giving us a step up on giving our family the best way of life. We get to go to sleep without suffering, and struggling, and contemplating. It’s such a big deal. We really appreciate that gift. It just doesn’t feel real to me. I tell my husband ‘pinch me.’ This is really happening.”
Since the HOTH program began in 2012, Operation Homefront has worked with homebuilders and lenders to place nearly 575 military veterans and their families in mortgage-free homes. This is the thirteenth new home Meritage Homes has built and donated to veterans through this partnership.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to continue our long-standing partnership with an incredibly supportive Meritage team as we work together to serve a very special and deserving group of our fellow citizens – our military families,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray, Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “Meritage’s clear commitment to serving those who have done so much for all of us is reflected in the 13 homes they have donated to military families over the past 6 years; the most recent donation giving dual Marine Corps veterans Shandrika and Juval Shreves and their two children, the opportunity to thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the community they have worked so hard to protect.”
“We are extremely proud and honored to welcome the Shreves family into their new home, and extend our deepest appreciation to them and all service members around the world,” said Steve Hilton, CEO of Meritage Homes. “As a company, we are humbled to be part the Homes on the Homefront program and are thrilled to present them the keys to their brand-new, mortgage-free home. We wish the Shreves the best as they embark on this new, exciting chapter in their lives.”
