Wounded Veteran Receives Free Wheelchair Accessible Home in North Carolina

A wounded veteran from North Carolina received the keys to his mortgage-free home on Saturday.

Joshua Craven lost his left leg and suffered paralysis from his right leg while on tour in Iraq in 2010, WGHP reported. He was driving the lead vehicle in a convoy when an explosion detonated.

“When I got injured I thought I was a stud and that I could navigate life normally,” Craven told the outlet. “That’s not the case. I do have physical limitations. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s not easy to do things the hard way.”

With widened door frames and a shower that’s wheel chair accessible, Homes for Our Troops built Craven and his family a custom made home which accommodates Craven.

This is the charity’s 264th home built for wounded veterans, according to Executive Director Bill Ivey.

“What we do is that we build a specially adapted home that is completely accessible for veterans while they’re still in their wheelchair. What that does for them is restore the freedom and independence that they lost while defending our freedom and independence while in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Ivey said.

For Craven and his family this home signifies a fresh start.

“The current house I live in is kind of like a prison,” Craven told the outlet. “It’s inaccessible via wheelchair. Getting around and doing daily tasks and just being a part of family is hard to do in the house I live in now.”

Home for Our Troops is the only organization giving veterans mortgage-free homes, for Breitbart News reported that former U.S. Army Specialist Cody Blevins, a Purple Heart recipient received his new, payment-free home in Dayton, Ohio from Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Sandra Ignaszewski with Military Warriors Support Foundation said that the organization has helped find homes for 900 veterans across the country, Dayton 247 reported. She said this home is a perfect fit for Blevins and his family.

“Cody was born and raised here in the Ohio area,” Ignaszewski said. “He knows it very well. He has the family support here that he needs, he has friends, and additionally, other services.