Homes For Veterans

Gifting barrier-free renovations to our heroes.

Participate in our mission to serve our veterans, help us to say thank you for the sacrifices they have made for our freedom.

Our Mission at Homes for Veterans is to provide barrier-free renovations to veteran home owners at no cost to the veterans or their families.

This is a way to give back – a small thank you – in return for the immense sacrifice and patriotism that has allowed us as Americans our freedom. We offer help with barrier-free services, for example: wheelchair ramps, widening doorways for wheelchair access, kitchen adaptations including roll-under sinks and lowering countertops, bathroom adaptations including wheelchair accessible showers. We try to do anything that will make our veteran heroes free from injuring themselves when they return home from their service and make them more independent and comfortable in their own homes.

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Homes for Veterans has ramps built, doorways widened, tubs removed and roll in showers installed. We can only do this with your support. You can show your thanks with a generous donation to our veteran heroes! Anything you can do to say thank you to our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

If you would like to mail in a donation:

Homes For Veterans
105 Highland Avenue
Harrington Park, New Jersey 07640

Kyle Chappell, The “Miracle Marine”

HARRINGTON PARK, N.J. — When Kyle Chappell, the so-called “Miracle Marine,” needed help modifying his home to maneuver his wheelchair, Doug DiPaola of Harrington Park was happy to help. DiPaola, 57, founded Homes for Veterans , a nonprofit, precisely for people like Chappell. “I learned there are a lot of injured veterans who need help with things that do not meet the requirements of any VA program,” he said.

Their needs include widening doorways, installing ramps, creating roll-in showers, and modifying kitchens. Chappell, who lives in Boonton, served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. But he was severely injured in an April 2015 motorcycle accident after he returned to civilian life. He was riding to his job as an electrician at Esposito’s Electric in Denville when it happened.

Chappell lost a leg in the incident. His lungs collapsed. His liver, kidney, and spleen were lacerated. He also was decapitated from within. At home, he faced dangerous realities, given his long medical recuperation. First, he needed a chairlift to get in and out of his mother’s 1950’s Ranch-style house.

“Taking a shower was just dangerous,” Chappell said, “so there needed to be an improvement in some way. I’m still not super mobile so getting in and out of bathtubs is not preferable.” Homes for Veterans modified the Chappell bathroom for free. It removed a vanity, giving the Marine easy access to the sink, and replaced the tub with a roll-in shower.