New Windows, Insulation Save Marine Veteran from Housing Crisis
Duane Senter, his wife, Misty, and their 6-year-old daughter, Hartley, were excited to move into the home the family felt lucky to purchase in Northglenn, Colorado, following his five years serving his country as a Marine.
Duane and Misty had grown up right near Northglenn in the Thornton and Westminster area of Colorado. The housing market in the area was already heating up in 2019 when they purchased it. They had an inspection that did not find any glaring issues.
After they moved in, they began to notice the house was hard to heat and cool. Their utility bills were also outrageous, sometimes more than $500 a month. They hired contractors who told them they needed new windows. Duane began getting estimates of $12,000 for new windows. He was worried they would have to sell their home. With housing costs increasing, he did not think he would be able to afford another one.
Duane looked online and found Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program. With a generous donation of approximately $19,000 from The Home Depot Foundation, the Senter family received new windows and insulation. The project was completed in March. Duane said his daughter “loves” the new windows. The repairs make the house much quieter and more comfortable. They have already saved $200 a month on their electric bill.
“It’s given the whole house a whole transformation and made the house much more enjoyable overall, and it’s such a relief not worrying about how I’m going to come up with the money,” – Duane Senter, Marine veteran wife
Duane enlisted in the Marines in 2014 when he, his brother-in-law, and another friend decided they wanted to serve their country. He worked as a helicopter mechanic and reached the rank of corporal during his five years of duty. The majority of his enlistment was spent in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune, except for two deployments—one to Syria and the other to Afghanistan—as well as a humanitarian mission to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
He wants to the donors to know how much their support helps military families.
“That was truly a blessing,” he said. “Their support saved us. We were pulling overtime just to try and keep up with the high costs. Now we have more home time to be a family.”
