Owning a home can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. These hardships can be exacerbated for military veterans who were wounded in combat or during service time, according to Casey Kinser, the wife of a combat veteran who served in Iraq.

The Military Warriors Support Foundation, which was founded in San Antonio in 2004, aims to reduce these stressors and assist wounded veterans and their families.

The backstory

Kinser’s husband, a United States Army Staff Sergeant, was wounded in combat in Iraq, so the couple got involved with the Military Warriors Support Foundation in 2009.

“I initially just said, can I help?” Kinser explained. “I liked it and I got to volunteer, and that was 15 years ago.”


Now, she’s the Executive Vice President of the foundation, which offers a program called Homes4WoundedHeroes, an opportunity for those wounded in military combat to move into mortgage-free homes.

How it works

The Military Warriors Support Foundation partners with various financial institutions across the United States to donate bank-owned or foreclosed homes to Homes4WoundedHeroes, according to Kisner.

“They donate the properties to our foundation, we renovate them and get them into move-in ready condition for heroes and select veteran or Gold Star spouses,” Kisner said.


Once they take over the deed for the home, Kinser said that the foundation provides veterans with not just a place to live, but also a financial plan and mentorship on this next stage in their life.

“It’s a three-year program where families meet with mentors and work on budgeting and spending control on the home,” Kinser said.

After three years, the deed for the new home is officially placed into the name of the family who received it, according to Kinser.

Other programs and services offered by MWSF for combat veterans:
Casey Kinser said that she started with the Military Warriors Support Foundation as a volunteer. (Andrew Creelman/Community Impact)
Casey Kinser said that she started with the Military Warriors Support Foundation as a volunteer. (Andrew Creelman/Community Impact)
Why it matters


Kisner said that she has been deeply affected by the time she’s put into the Military Warriors Support Foundation and witnessing the successful transitions that military families have undergone after moving into their mortgage-free homes.

“Finding a home can be a challenge for these families,” Kinser said. “To see them at the end of the program, they feel so incredibly empowered.”

Kisner said that she’s seen veterans start businesses and become incredibly successful.

Veterans and families can apply for the Homes4WoundedHeroes program on the foundation’s website.