How often are you driving in your car when you come to a stop light and see a veteran begging as he/she is holding up a sign asking for money on the side of the road? Do you often ask yourself how did they get there? Are you unsure if giving them some of your loose change is the best way to help the veteran but yet you feel helpless? You're not the only one and there is a solution to this problem in Hillsborough County.

Code enforcement is a part of every city and county and generally speaking many are not even familiar with code enforcement until it happens to you! In Hillsborough County we serve more than 93,000 veterans and we take pride in our community of heroes and defenders and providing them a great community to live in. Code officers are out everyday and respond to complaints made by citizens in the community that see issues with properties that are not in compliance or up to "code". For the community, many see this as causing a decrease in their property value but most importantly, the veteran homeowner becomes overwhelmed as well as begins to feel helpless and unable to cure the violations. Many veterans at this point will begin the slow process of giving up taking care of their property which can inevitably lead to homelessness. At this point the veteran facing a life's hardship with no hope the repairs can be made and begins to sink into hopelessness. In Hillsborough County it is not unusual for Code Enforcement Officers to encounter these types of hardship scenarios exacerbated by advanced age, serious illness, disabilities and lack of financial resources that impede corrective action that includes for the veteran in need. What better way to identify those veterans in need of assistance with their home by partnering Operation Code Vet with Hillsborough County Code Enforcement.

Operation Code Vet (OCV) was established in 2017 in an effort to forgo traditional adjudication for our veterans in exchange for facilitating compliance through compassion and giving the community a way to show their appreciation to the veteran homeowner. Through community sweat equity, partnerships with local vendors and veteran-owned businesses, we come together as a group and make all the necessary repairs in order to allow that veteran the ability to "age in place" and enjoy living at home for the remainder of their lives. This is a great way to give back to our local veterans and give them a sense of community appreciation!

Right now is the perfect time to give to our program, with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner. Currently OCV has begun our "first new build" home for two homeless veterans in Ruskin. In 2022, code enforcement responded to a complaint of a dilapidated mobile home with a tree on it. Upon arrival the code officer identified the married couple as veterans. They were living in the mobile home until a hurricane in 2022 when a large tree fell on their home making it uninhabitable. The veterans began living on their back porch with tent-like walls for privacy. They lived like this for more than a year as the mobile home continued to deteriorate. OCV has partnered with Gramatica Family Foundation along with Habitat for Humanity and Lowes. Together we are in the final phase of the new home build with a dedication date anticipated by Christmas! But we need your help! 100% of your donation goes towards making repairs and/or building a home for our veterans in order to combat veteran homelessness.

This year we NEED your help! With two hurricanes back to back we had to delay the build putting us behind several months with the build and budget. In addition to this we have had to house the veterans elsewhere which has drained our account. If we can reach our goal of 15,000.00 we will be able to complete the home for these two veterans along with helping many more of our heroes in Hillsborough County with code violations. Won't you show your support and help us fight veteran homelessness one home at a time? You will make a difference in a veterans life and mind by donating any amount!

Help stop housing instability for our VETERANS by giving!!

By Operation Code Vet Inc

Help stop housing instability for our VETERANS by giving!!

HELP VETERANS FACING HOUSING INSECURITIES!!